Eternal Wings
by meangoose
Summary: KradxOC, SatoxOC Rated M for violence and some sexual content. A story about hope, love, friendship, loss, pain, horror, heartbreak, dark pasts, and bright futures. -- Sorry if it sucks; I wrote it when I was 14.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not D.N.Angel, nor do I own the character. As much as I wish I was Yukiru Sugisaki, I am not. I will be nothing more than a crazed fangirl. runs off to cry

Prologue

The pain coursed through her entire body. A cry escaped her lips as a pool of blood formed around her. The laughter of her fellow angels echoed in her ears. She watched in horror as her right wing was tossed carelessly in front of her. Then, they started on the left one. The pain came again, and the laughter grew louder. She bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming, as she knew that would only please them.

When her left wing was finally removed and thrown in the same place as the other one, she glared with hatred at the other angels surrounding her. It was then that the cries if her best friend, Tsare, pierced through the scorning laughter.

"It wasn't Taila! She innocent! You're making a terrible mistake, and you've no reason to banish her. She didn't murder Asten! Just because they had an argument the day before he was murdered doesn't mean she did it. I loved my brother, but I know for sure that Taila is innocent!"

Tsare was ignored, though. Even though Taila was innocent, she would never fly again, as her wings had been cut off. Not only that, she would be banished from the Heavens forever. She would be forced to live on Earth.

Taila bowed her head and stared at the puddle of her own blood surrounding her. She would just have to accept her fate.

"Goodbye, Taila," she heard a voice say, and everything started spinning.

Review, people! And yes, flames are accepted, as long as they can help me. >.>


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 1

Satoshi sat alone on a bench in the park. Kids were playing freeze tag in the background as Satoshi dropped his head. He wondered and worried about that girl Keri… She was always alone. But he knew he couldn't allow himself to worry about her, or Krad would take over.

That's why he was by himself. Not at home. Not with friends... Oh, hell. What friends? He was better off alone anyway, wasn't he? Because, if he had a friend, they would end up being killed by the monster inside him. Everything he loved... was destroyed in the end...

"Ne, your from my math class eh?" She was standing behind Hiwatari with her arms crossed and a dazed look in her eyes. He looked rather lonely to her, much like what she had to go through but there was something of deeper reason of why he was alone.

Keri's long black hair fell around her shoulders. Her eyes were emotionless, and they were the same color as her hair. She had only recognized him because he had happened to realize her loneliness. She just got that vibe… It confused her greatly how he managed to notice but even more, she wondered why she was trying to start a conversation.

He was slightly startled by the girl, and he didn't turn to face her when he spoke.

"Hai, I am," he said.

She leaned forward and rested her arms on the back of the bench. She was next to Satoshi's ear as she rested her chin on her arms. "Ne...Are you alright? You seem lonely."

He looked like he might've needed some company but she wasn't sure that she could give him it. She barely could pull out of her trances and boredom so why would she be able to help him.

Secretly enjoying her company, he tried to look as uncomfortable as possible. Then, maybe, she might leave. He didn't want to get close to her. He _couldn't_ get close to her. Not anyone.

"I'm alright. Arigatou."

"Yo gata..." she said closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Ano... you're Hiwatari-kun right?"

Brushing her hair back slightly she gave a light sigh. She looked at the kids playing on the playground and shook her head. "They look too innocent, ne?"

"Hai, I am Satoshi Hiwatari," he said. When she made the comment on the children, he couldn't help but smile. "Innocence... is a myth."

"To use maybe...they don't know the true colors of this world...it's better that they didn't, not now." she smiled as well but it was forced. It really didn't show happiness, only an awkward sadness. 

Suddenly one of the kids tripped and started bawling. The boy's leg was bleeding from where it got scraped. The other kids were trying to calm him down and try to get him back up again. Keri sighed with a light little laugh.

"I don't think I was ever truly happy. Even when I was young," Satoshi said.

He dropped his head, resting it on his fist. His blue eyes trailed over the playground and to the crying boy. He couldn't recall crying as a child either. Crying just seemed so useless to him. It wouldn't solve your problems, nor would it make you feel at ease.

"Me either... I don't think I ever have ever truly smiled before."

She pushed herself up and walked around the bench to the kids. She knelt down in front of the boy without word. His tears had stopped, probably because of her, and he was simply staring. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a blue band-aid. Sticking on his bleeding cut she didn't show the slightest sign of compassion.

Standing up again she made her way back to Satoshi an unreadable expression on her face. Though she couldn't see, she knew that the boy had already gotten back up and ran to play with his friends.

Satoshi watched Keri help the boy quietly from where he sat. He, too, had an emotionless expression on his face as always. He would have asked her to sit down next to him, but he was afraid of getting close to her.

_Foolish boy_

He could hear Krad's laughter in the back of his head, and pain consumed him as he fled from the bench, away from Keri. He tripped a few feet away and struggled to get up again. He had to get home... now.

Keri shot up herself as soon as the boy tripped over his own feet. She ran over to him and knelt beside him supporting his arm trying to get him back up again. "A-are you alright?"

She avoided looking at him and instead at their surroundings. It was an awkward position for her

"Get away from me," he said hoarsely, trying to pick himself up. When he finally managed to get up, he started to run away again. "Gomen, Keri-san... Gomenasai," he called back.

She stumbled as he ran away from her. She groaned feeling like she did something wrong. Was this what guilt was like?

As he ran home, he could feel Krad taking over, and he hoped no one saw. As he ran inside his house, locking the door behind him, he wondered if Keri was alright. It was then that Krad had fully taken over and began cursing at him for running away.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 2

She found herself in a slightly uncomfortable position, laying down on the ground, but the unfamiliar warmth she felt on her face and body was nothing short of pleasurable. It seemed to caress every part of her body, even though it wasn't even touching her. As miserable as she was, the warmth made her smile.

As she looked up at the luminous sun, Taila thought, _So this is what sunshine is like…_

She was laying down in what seemed to be grass. It tickled the palms of her hands as she ran them over the healthy, green blades. She sat up, amazed at how different Earth was from the Heavens. It was incredible how she could actually feel now. Still letting her fingertips be tickled by the grass, she noticed the dirt from which it grew from. She picked some up and moved the soil between her fingers, examining it.

_What a funny place…_

She was already beginning to enjoy it here, but she still missed her home.

She missed Tsare, her best friend. They had so many memories together. They had been friends all of Taila's life, and they would never see each other again. Happy memories of the green-eyed brunette flooded through her mind, as well as her twin brother, Asten.

Taila and Asten argued a lot, mostly over dumb things, but they were still great friends. That's why it surprised her so when she was accused of murdering him. And when she said she didn't do it, no one believed her.

She tried to spread her wings as she always did when something was troubling her. That's when she remembered that she had none. No wings was going to take some getting used to, and she already hated it. She had always loved her wings. She loved flying. And now that she would be living like a human now, she wondered how it felt to fly and actually feel the wind hitting your face.

Taila moved her hands over her back and felt deep indentions where her wings had been. It hurt when she pressed down on them.

Placing her hands in the grass again, she scanned her surroundings, noticing that she was well hidden by trees. No one seemed to notice her.

Then, she sensed something. Someone. Some power, and it felt similar to her own Angelic powers. She smirked and threw back her blonde hair behind her shoulders, her lavender eyes searching the area she was in. There were children playing several yards away, but the power wasn't coming from them.

Then, she found her target: two young teens, a boy a girl, sitting on a bench not too far away from the children. The boy was quite handsome from what she could tell. He had light blue hair and deep, royal blue eyes. They seemed sad but captivating at the same time. The girl was equal in beauty, as her unreadable eyes trailed over the boy, matching her long, black hair. But what was this power she sensed from them?

It was then that the boy started freaking out about something. His power seemed to be growing stronger. He fled from the bench, though he tripped over his own feet. The girl acted quickly, rushing to his side and trying to support him. As soon as he was able to get up, he ran from her. Both Tail and the girl watched him until he was completely out of site.

_How rude…_ she thought. _I wonder what his problem was._

She looked down at herself and smiled. _I may be 54 years old, but I appear the same age as them. Maybe I can befriend them and find out what their powers are._

Taila felt the sunlight beaming down on her face again and stopped to appreciate it once more. She wondered what other things she would find in this world. She had heard a great deal about pain, and although it sounded horrible, she was curious. Maybe she could find more things like the sunshine and the grass that tickled her hands. She knew to expect many new and wonderful things, but what she wasn't expecting was finding something unconditional.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 3

Keri was in the air with her phoenix wings spread fully on her back. Her hands were spread out on either side of her, a light smile forming under her mask. She dove then pulled back up again.

It was fun to get some time to her. It was just her worries that someone might see her. Then all of a sudden she gasped and fell out of the air. Her wings had disappeared abruptly and now she was heading straight at the ocean below.

He laughed quietly at her. Phoenix wings carried her through the sky. He watched her amusingly until he saw her begin to fall.

_Might as well have SOME fun_

_Leave her alone._

_Aw, come on. Let me have some fun._

Pure, white wings spread out behind his as he took of to the sky. He caught the girl before she landed in the ocean. Carrying her bridal style, he smiled evilly. "Hello there, little girl."

She gasped as she opened her eyes. Her wings were gone and now she was staring at someone with blonde hair. She however didn't struggle knowing that her death only awaited if she fell. Pressing her hands onto the mask on her face, she adjusted while her head tilted down. 

"Who...are you?" Normally her voice wouldn't have sounded so muffled but that was the result of her hands on the mask.

Krad grinned down at her, more of a smirk, actually. His golden eyes looked over the mask. "I might tell you who I am, if you show your true face."

Her hands still remained on the mask and she remained motionless. She had never taken off her mask when she was out flying, never. Now this guy had caught her and was telling her to take it off. Then it struck her. He had actually caught her when she fell and in actuality that was surprising.

She looked up at him and noticed the white wings spread on his back. Her eyes widened under the mask before she gave a light sigh. "No." she said blandly.

_Leave her alone, Krad!_

"My dear child..." he said, flying higher in the sky. "Here, you owe me your very life... I could drop you just now. Take it off."

_Not even YOU can save her now, Satoshi..._

She winced as he soared higher. The altitude was getting to her head and it made her slightly dizzy but the message got through her mind.

One of her hands slid off the mask as the other one gripped at it. Taking a deep breath she whipped it off. As the cold air hit her face she winced again before taking a deep breath. She opened her eyes to stare up at Krad as her hair blew slightly back in the wind.

He smiled and began to slowly descend. "Ah... Keri-san. I know you too well... But I think I should have some fun before I go..."

_Leave her alone, Krad! Please!_

_Mmm... Nah. She's so beautiful, Hikari-kun._

He held Keri closer and neared his face closer to hers. "I may not kill you now, but I will eventually. All that he loves, I destroy in the end..."

She fidgeted showing her discomfort with the closeness. How did he know her name?

"W-what...?" she said quietly. She pressed her hand on his chest trying to gain some distance in between them. She wasn't use to it, she wouldn't ever be. "D-don't..."

"Don't what?" he asked. "Don't put you down? Okay, I can do that."

He scanned the area around them, looking for some place to go. "Hmm... Where should we go, and what will I do with you once we're there?" Actually, he wasn't planning on doing anything at all except frightening her... and Satoshi. He found such joy in scaring people.

She winced at his response to her stuttering. Maybe it would be better if she kept her mouth shut now that she was in Krad's clutches. Where were her wings when she wanted them?

"W-who are you and w-where are you taking me...?" The cold air was making her dizzy so she slipped the mask back onto her face and secured it. Not to mention her eyes were watery and it wasn't because of the wind.

"Why are you putting the mask back on? You're such a pretty girl... it's a shame to hide it." He tilted his head and began to fly into the top of a tree, so maybe no one could see them. He settled his wings and tightened his grip on her.

"Who am I? That really depends on whom you mean. Me or... me?" He laughed briefly, though evilly, then Satoshi's voice interrupted him.

_Damn you, Krad! Leave her alone!_

_Or else what, Hikari!_

With that, Satoshi was silent.

She was quiet with his question but she didn't think that she would react with his comment. A slight blush rose up to her face and she was glad that the mask was there to cover it up. Soon she noticed that his grip was stronger on her as leaves swept past her eyes.

"...I'm talking to you aren't I?" Her voice was soft but controlled. She was trying her hardest not to stutter but even without that, controlling her voice was such a clear sign that she was afraid.

Yes, but you are also heard by he who dwells within me," he answered. He knew he was confusing her, and that would make her more vulnerable.

He resituated himself to where he was on top of her, pinning her down against the tree branch. He wished he could see the fear in her eyes and the terror on her face, even though he really didn't wish to do anything to her.

In the back of his mind, he still heard Satoshi's pleas to stop, now added onto with his sobs.

She gasped, flinching as her back hit the branch. Her eyes widen behind the mask. Desperate groans of effort came from her throat as she tried to pull away from Krad. What he said before didn't dwell on her mind. The only thing she wanted was getting away from him.

Her right leg shot straight upwards as she tried to kick him off of her.

He used his legs to hold her down. He knew he was stronger than her, and he didn't plan on keeping her around much longer. He was getting a little bored.

"What's wrong? Afraid already? I've only just started..."

"Stop it!" She groaned with frustration shooting her hand out at him. They glowed red for a second before blasting Krad back. She backed away immediately feeling the weight off of herself. Scrambling up she leaned on the tree trunk trying to gain as much distance from him as possible.

Now frustrated, he decided to torture her a bit longer. Maybe she would attack him again, for in the back of his mind, Satoshi moaned with pain.

"My dear girl. You look terrified..."

He made his way to her again, slowly. His golden eyes reflected the moon, yet they were full of evil.

"Get...away from me!" she screamed shooting out her hands in defense. They didn't glow or anything though. She was shivering in fear and behind the mask she was obviously crying.

"Remove the mask," he ordered.

He wanted to see her face, her horrific expression, the fear in her eyes, the tears running down her cheeks. He wanted to see that. He wanted Satoshi to see that, as well. He assumed she would listen, obeying him out of fear.

She shook her head frantically. She wouldn't face the humiliation of letting someone see her cry. Backing away from him even more she lost her gripping on the branch and she fell. She shot her hand up hoping to catch something, not wanting to fall again like she did in the sky.

Krad sighed and watched her fall. If she lived when she hit the ground, she would be able to run away. It'd be a miracle if she did, anyway. He spread his white wings and began to slowly descend to the base of the tree to meet her after she fell.

Her hands shot down and the flames formed a shield that she crashed on. She cringed in pain as it hit the ground the impact traveling through her. As she felt the earth beneath her hands she could barely move. She closed her eyes painfully as she stumbled up. She couldn't run, she was too weak.

_Krad, please. This has gone too far. This is too much! Stop it!_

Krad ignored Satoshi's pleas and landed a couple of feet behind the girl. He folded his wings neatly behind him and walked over to her. As he stood behind her, he wrapped his arms around he and pulled her closer to him.

"Why are you so afraid of me, child, when I have no good use of you? Yet."

She had no energy left to fight against him. She was leaning on him slightly for support as she tried to catch her breath. It sickened her that he was so close to her and she couldn't do a thing about it. She didn't know why she was afraid. Was it just an impulse?

"Why the hell are you..." she couldn't finish her sentence as her eyes slipped half-closed. It looked like she used too much energy in defending herself. She needed to get use to using them from now on.

Seeing that she couldn't finish her sentence because she was weak, he carried her in his arms. "Keri-san, I wish to do nothing to you now." He smirked and lifted her head to his.

In the back of his mind, Satoshi moaned in agony while, at the same time, sobbed for her. Krad found it amusing, as well as hilarious.

"...How...do you know my name?" she asked weakly. It was strange that she took comfort in his warmth and closeness. Maybe that was because she was only half-conscious.

Krad grinned and held her closer. "If only I could tell you..." he said. "If only life could be that simple."

"...and what is yours..." she asked, her words slurred. She twitched slightly as if coming back into consciousness. Her eyes fluttered slightly as she tried to keep them open.

"My name?" He hesitated for a moment and gazed into her half-shut eyes. His crooked grin could have pierced through someone's soul like a knife through flesh. As he moved his face closer to hers, he whispered, "Krad."

His image blurred in front of her eyes as she desperately tried to clear it. Her mind could decipher the closeness that was between them but her body had no will to move anymore than she had to.

As he whispered the name to her a cold chill ran down her back as if she knew that it was bound to bring trouble. The name was strange in a way but she didn't want to ponder on it. Groaning as her eyes shut closed, removing the tears from them, her arm twitched before lifting from its stiff position.

Using him as leverage she used the strength she had left to try and push herself from him. "Let me go..." she didn't know why she spoke though. It made her sound more desperate than she wanted it to.

He wanted this. He wanted her to beg, to plead, and to cry. To suffer. Just as Satoshi was doing in the back of his mind. He ignored him and focused all if his attention on Keri.

"Why would I let you go? Aren't you having fun? Aren't you glad I saved your life? Don't you like for me to hold you close this way?"

"I... don't need you..." she muttered. "Why would I...?"

In some strange way she knew that she wouldn't have died. Her wings would've returned or her powers would have been released, saving her. That was how cruel existence was. When she wanted the most to die it conjured up another way to save her.

His words had fully penetrated her mind only after she had spoke. It froze her from the inside out. The words weren't kind to say the least. Normally she would've been use to it but it was the way he used the words. The simple cold and chanting voice he had was something she wasn't use to.

"Perhaps... perhaps I'll see you later then..." He set her down on her feet and looked coldly into her eyes. "This means nothing. I will destroy you eventually; that's a promise."

She stumbled on her feet before falling to the ground slightly short of breath. Standing up her eyes grew hard as she moved the mask to rest on top of her head.

"You can try Krad-san... But if you succeed that'll be the nicest thing anyone's done for me." It was slightly sarcastic but all in all she was serious. Holding a hand to her face she gave a slight sigh and closed her eyes. The exhaustion was really getting to her, she wondered if she could at least fly home.

Krad stared at the girl. Did she just really say that? Did she even mean it?

_Master Satoshi, I didn't know your girlfriend was suicidal..._

_She's not my girlfriend! Just leave her alone!_

It didn't make sense. If she wanted to die, why was she trying to get away? Maybe she just _thought_ she wanted to die.

"Young girl, if you want so much to die, then why do you fear me so?"

"He...Krad-san, why does anyone fear anything?" She turned and started walking away from him.

Her walk had a slight limp to it because of her falling from the tree but nonetheless she had the strength to drag herself back home. Her hand was glowing red as if it was the guidance and strength she needed.

"What is it you think you now, child?" he asked. "Do you think you can provoke me?" He walked closer to her and grabbed her arm, squeezing tight in his rough hand.

She let out a cry of surprise as she was forced back. Her hand twitched as if she was going to recoil back but she only whipped her head around to glare at him. "Let, go."

It annoyed her extremely that he wouldn't stop bothering her. She pulled her arm roughly away from him. It obviously hurt her in more ways that anyone could possibly think but her anger was controlling her actions now.

Krad smiled, now amused at her anger. He found her quite pathetic, though Satoshi believed he was underestimating her. She had seemed to know what she was talking about moments before...

"Mademoiselle, I do believe it's time I bid you goodnight..."

He held her hand gently to his lips and kissed it. Not in a kind way, though. The look in his eyes as he did so was stone cold, and his smile was just as frigid.

Once again she wretched her hand away from him and turned away shaking in anger. _How dare he..._

Her teeth were clenched so hard that it soon started to hurt her jaw. She had to unclenched her jaw so she wouldn't hurt herself. Driven by her anger she managed to find her way home. When she did get home she slammed the door so hard that her bag fell off the couch. She didn't bother to pick back up.

As her anger died down she felt the tiredness seep into her mind. Luckily she hit the bed instead of the floor.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 4

Satoshi walked through the hallway with his head down. He had not slept any that night. Krad had taken over... and he wanted to kill Keri. He cursed at himself for not having more control over himself, and he didn't think he should even speak to Keri again. For one, he had embarrassed himself by taking off when they were in the park. Two, he didn't want Krad to hurt her anymore. He didn't want Krad to hurt anyone...

Keri stumbled through the hallways and happened to find her way to crash into Satoshi. She landed on the ground wincing and held her head. It was clumsy and unlike her.

"G-gomen..." she said pushing herself up.

Satoshi reached out his hand to her and helped her up. He didn't make eye contact with her, but he said, "I'm sorry about in the park. Something... happened."

With that, he started to walk away to go to his locker.

Her head shot up at the voice as he helped her up. Her breath was caught in her throat before she caught his arm. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault..."

She gave a light laugh. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong."

He didn't turn to look at her. He didn't want to get any closer to her. Well, maybe he did, but he had to get further from her instead. "You didn't. You did nothing wrong."

Worried about what Krad had done to her the night before, he forced himself to look at her. "So... After I left, did you have a good day?"

She lowered her hand from his arm, slightly relieved. Giving a rare smile to the boy she nodded slightly. "It was nothing special, the same as always."

Lying of course but she found no reason to tell Satoshi the truth. She didn't know that he knew. After what had happened it troubled her throughout the night but she managed to get some sleep due to her exhaustion.

"You're lying; I can see it in your eyes," he said. It was true that he could, and he knew what happened. He was just desperate to know if she was alright. "Did something happen?"

The abrupt accusation he had given her left her speechless for a while. _...He...damn..._

"It's fine...it was just exhaustion..." she gave another laugh as a sigh of covering up something. "I'm fine."

In a way she was glad that someone was actually worried about her, but it wasn't like he knew what she actually went through, right?

Satoshi sighed at her attempt at lying and grabbed her arm. "You're hiding something. We may not know each other that well, but I want to know. I'm worried. I see fear in your eyes... If you'd rather not tell me, just say so."

"Hi..Hiwatari-san..." her eyes were widened with surprise by his abrupt behavior. In her view it was unlike him because she always saw him quiet in the classroom and around other people.

_...Does he really see it...?_ It was hard for her to believe that the boy could actually decipher the look in her eyes, even she couldn't some of the times.

"Hiwatari-san I...met someone yesterday...he-" she was unable to finish her sentence as someone knocked her forward. She stumbled somewhat before catching herself on Satoshi's shoulder. She was rendered speechless as a slight blush came to her face before whipping around in anger.

"Akane!" Keri growled.

The girl smiled innocently before brushing past Keri to speak to Satoshi. "Hiwatari-kun Ohayo! How are you today?"

"I... er... I'm fine. Who are you again?" he answered

He thought he knew her name, but he wasn't sure. He wanted her to leave so badly, so Keri could finish telling him about Krad.

"I'm Akane, Hiwatari-kun don't you remember?" She pouted slightly to show that she was displeased in Satoshi not remembering her name, but she was actually trying to pull off a cute look at the same time.

_Akane..._ A vein pulsed on Keri's forehead as she glared at the girl. In a way she was glad that she had separated the two but now...If Keri even spoke one word to break _them_ apart, Akane would quietly spread rumors about Keri and Satoshi being an 'item.' It was the worst possible thing that could've happened besides Krad appearing again.

"I'm afraid not, Akane-chan." He had an impatient look on his face, and he was not the least bit amused by her attempt at being kawaii. He made sure that was obvious in his facial expression in case she didn't get his vibes.

"Ne, Hiwatari-kun..." Akane sort of blushed before she shook her head and ran down the hallway. "See you in class!"

Keri stood flabbergasted before backing away from Satoshi as if to avoid what was coming next. She didn't want to mention the night before.

"Now, what were you saying?" Satoshi asked flatly before Keri could walk away. His face was still frozen in its emotionless state as it was when Akane was there.

She gave a slight sigh and motioned for him to walk with her. It would make her feel better if they didn't stay in one place, the whispering was quickly starting. It would cloud her mind more than what had happened the night before.

"Like I said...I met this person at night...sometime after midnight I think..." she muttered slowly as she looked at her feet as she walked.

He would have made her look him in the eye, but he knew she would feel more comfortable the way she was.

"You shouldn't be out so late," he said with concern in his voice, "but please continue."

She gave a laugh and shook her head. "I don't think it matters."

She lifted her head slightly and recalled the events from the night before while at the same time she made up lies. "I was by the cliff...and...I slipped. Luckily enough for me he caught me, Krad...He had white wings...Krad had this look in his eyes...like he knew everything...but...it was so childish..."

A light laugh escaped her lips. This wasn't suppose to be funny. It wasn't suppose to be the least bit amusing but she found a way for it to be. _I nearly lost my life and I find this funny...I must be crazy..._

"He saved my life but still...he threatened me and backed me into a corner...I didn't know what to do...and I fell out of the tree...I'm amazed that I'm ok...he didn't even bother to catch me that time..." Her voice was so low that no one within 3 feet could hear her.

Satoshi remembered the night as she retold the story. When she told it to him, it didn't seem as bad. Maybe it was because she laughed lightly about it. He assumed she was trying to hide her fear from him. Not that he blamed her. Most people felt vulnerable if they admitted they were afraid.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Keri-san," he said in a voice just as low as hers. "I hope it never happens again. This Krad... what did he do to you when he had you cornered?"

She shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry, I'm alright."

She shrugged slightly. "...its hard to explain. I think he was trying to scare me...He pinned me down so I wouldn't escape..."

Walking into an empty hallway she stopped and leaned on the wall looking up at the ceiling ."It doesn't matter...it's over with."

"No it's not," he said. "What if he comes after you again?"

He wanted so much to say that he would be there if Krad appeared again, but that wasn't possible in the way he wanted to mean it.

"I wish I could say I'd be there to help you, but I don't think that's possible."

"I'll deal with it my own way..." she answered quietly.

It didn't bother her that Krad happened to be after her. It was just the thing that she had to exert so much energy just to keep herself safe.

"You'd be better off staying home," he told her.

"It's sort of hard for me to stay home..." she said in a slight undertone. "I don't have a lot of things to do at home and I get bored most of the time."

She shook her head slightly. "I don't think you need to worry about me that much. I'll be ok Hiwatari-san."

"Hai, you're right. I do worry too much."

He stared past her and the people surrounding them. Everyone seemed to be going to his or her classes now. He looked into her eyes again and sighed.

"Just promise me you'll tell me if anything else happens."

"Hai." she said pushing herself off the wall. Placing her hands behind her back she gave a light laugh and spun herself around to face him. "Arigatou Hiwatari-san. I'm glad that I have a friend like you."

Faking a smile she gave another laugh before turning to walk down the hallway. "I have class now. Ja."

"Me, too. Ja ne," Satoshi said as he walked away, leaving her to go to her next class.

_She called me… her friend… _he thought to himself. It felt good to have a friend, as he had been alone all of his life before now.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 5

Taila walked through the hallways of Azumano high school, her lavender eyes searching for the boy and girl she saw at the park the day before. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail except for her uneven bangs that hung loosely around her face. Her facial expression was serious as she scanned the hallways, but there was no sign of the two anywhere.

_I'm sure they were wearing uniforms exactly like this,_ she thought.

Then, she spotted a blunette boy walking in front of her rather slowly, and he seemed pretty depressed about something. He also looked tired, like he had not gotten any sleep the night before. Just when she was about to introduce herself to him, the girl who was with him at the park carelessly crashed into him. Taila eyed her suspiciously as the black-haired girl fell to the floor. She had never sensed that she was the clumsy type, but there was something bothering this girl.

She tried using her natural empathy skills on the two. The boy… He had somehow become protective if this girl. He loved her, but it was like a brother-sister love. He was worried about her, and he knew something had happened to her. The girl's mind was cluttered. She didn't know what to do about anything. She was confused and scared, but she wasn't going to be one to show or admit it. She was wondering why something had happened to her. She was so busy thinking and worrying, Taila assumed this was the reason that she had carelessly ran into the boy like she did.

"Does Keri actually think she has a chance with Hiwatari-sama? She must be out of her mind."

The preppy, irritating voice seemed to be coming from behind Taila. She turned around and saw a group of girls. Throwing them a haunting, devastating death glare, she said rather coldly, "That's rude."

The girl who made the comment blinked several times in confusion while, at the same time, tilting her head. "I don't believe I've met you before."

Taila mentally cursed at herself for speaking to this girl. She didn't want to start a conversation. She wanted to find out about the other two. She needed to find out about their power. It just wasn't human.

She cleared her throat and tried to think of an explanation for herself, her eyes still fixed in a glare. "I'm Taila Jamonal. I just moved here from across the country." She was glad she thought of a last name that quickly. They never had last names in the Heavens.

"I see," the girl answered. "I'm Akane. Now, what was your comment on what I said earlier?"

Taila growled, and her lavender eyes turned a deep purple as her anger grew. "You heard very well what I said, and who are you talking about anyway?"

Akane giggled. "Figures. Making comments when you don't even know who we're talking about." The other girls giggled as well. A sort of high-pitched, girly giggle that made Taila want to scream at the top of her lungs.

"You see those two over there?" Akane continued, pointing at the blue-haired boy and the girl he was with. They seemed to be talking about something serious, as they kept their voice extremely low. Their facial expressions were serious as well. "Keri isn't of high enough status to be talking to Satoshi Hiwatari. I heard that he has actually already graduated from college, but he's in high school now because he just wants to live a normal life. Honestly, he can't live a normal life around Keri. Keri is anything but normal."

The girls giggled some more, and Taila just shook her head. "Akane-san, you should just let the boy make his own decisions. Who are you to say who he should talk to and who he shouldn't, anyway?"

Taila grinned at Akane, who was now shaking with rage.

"Oh? Well, I bet if I go talk to Hiwatari-kun now, he'd rather talk to me instead of her!"

With that Akane waltzed over to where the two were talking. Taila tried to tune in to their conversation. From what she heard, Satoshi didn't even know who she was. Not even her name. Taila giggled as she picked up on their emotions. Keri was pretty ticked off, but Satoshi was just downright annoyed.

It wasn't long before Akane came back, her fists clenched. She walked to her group of friends, and they kept asking her what had happened.

"Apparently…" Taila said, still smiling, "She's of high enough status for him to remember her name."

Akane and the other girls gasped, horrific expressions upon their faces. As Taila walked away, she could hear them talking about her.

"That bitch! We'll get her back!"

"I can't believe she said that!"

"Don't worry, Akane-san. We'll get Keri, too!"

She ignored their comments and didn't even worry about what they were going to do to her. They were just a bunch of snobs. How intimidating was that?

Taila walked by Satoshi and Keri. She watched them out of the corner of her eye as she walked past. She was feeling a bit prideful, now that she had found out their names and even insulted a snobby girl. What a great day this was turning out to be! Seeing that Akane and her clique hated Satoshi and Keri, she knew that she would fit in well with them. Being friends with them would surely be no problem at all.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 6

Keri was sitting at one of the lunch tables away from most of the people and groups. Her head was lowered slightly as her black hair fell to the sides. In front of her was a piece of paper with various lines and a pencil in her hand. On the paper was a rough drawing of a phoenix with flames surrounding it. It's head pointed majestically at the sky as its wings were spread out.

She continuously flipped her pencil back and forth to erase and draw again. She simply couldn't get the lines to go the way she wanted to. Giving a frustrated groan she continued to erase frantically and redraw the same line over and over.

Though she didn't know it, Satoshi stood behind her, watching her draw. He was slightly intrigued as he watched her. He had nothing else to do, anyway.

"Nice drawing, Keri-san," he said.

Keri gasped, and her head shot up. Her hand froze on the piece of paper. "H-Hiwatari-san...?"

She abruptly turned around looking up at the boy with a look of shock on her face.

"Gomenasai. I didn't mean to frighten you," he said.

Satoshi took a seat next to her to get a closer look at the drawing.

"A phoenix... Hai, that fits you well..."

"I-It's ok..." her arm had moved slightly to partially cover-up the drawing. It embarrassed her to get her work to look at for the first time.

"Eh...? How?" she asked. She didn't worry about anything with doing about her other form. There was no way he could've known.

Satoshi looked at her for a moment, remembering the night when Krad caught her... She had phoenix wings on her back.

"I don't know, exactly... It's just that, when I look at you, you remind me of a phoenix. Graceful... Mature..." he said, shrugging.

"Ah..." she didn't know what to say, he had caught her off-guard on the question. She gave a slight laugh and avoided looking at the boy as she moved her pencil to finish and perfect the picture. "...Arigatou...Hiwatari-san..." she said quietly.

Satoshi saw where she had been erasing a lot in one spot, and was till trying to perfect that same part of the picture. She seemed to be having trouble with this one part.

"Do something like this," he said, tracing his finger over the page, indicating how she should draw it.

She looked a little skeptical at the spot but followed the line and it ended up the way she wanted it to. Turning her head to face him she smiled softly and laughed lightly. "Thanks a lot..."

"Your welcome," He said and continued to watch her draw. "I used to draw a lot, but I've kind of lost all inspiration lately."

She gave another laugh as she continued sketching the bird. "Maybe you just need a good idea and a place to concentrate...Normally I wouldn't be here...but...I guess some things can't be helped..."

"Hmm... No. I've just lost all will to do anything. Even to live sometimes. Sometimes I feel as if my fate does nothing but ruin others' lives."

He couldn't believe he was being so open with her... Was it that he finally felt like he had found a friend?

"That's not true. You haven't ruined my life." she said to the boy. "It's hard to live sometimes...it is...but sometimes you just have to stop worrying...just stop..."

He wanted to tell her about Krad, and he felt that he needed to. Krad had done those things to her, and it hurt him to know that she thought it was only Krad's doing. He felt as if it was his fault, too. He should have fought harder...

"If only I could tell you, Keri..."

"...Tell me what?" she asked as she went back to her drawing. She was a little worried about the tone of his voice. Was something wrong?

She finished the expression on the phoenix's face before moving her pencil down to draw the tail. Her hair fell down to cover her face once again as her hand moved slowly across the picture.

"Tell you... Tell you everything," he answered.

He felt like he should leave, so she wouldn't keep asking questions. He could understand why, though, but he knew that he would eventually give in and tell her about Krad. He couldn't, though. And she would be so mad... But didn't she deserve to know? Hell, he didn't know. He stayed anyway for some reason. Maybe it was because he felt that it was wrong to just walk away from your friend.

She only smiled lightly and bent her head lower. Suddenly she was shoved forward and a deep indentation of her pencil was scratched across the entire paper. She had tried to lift her head up but found it to be pressed down by someone's hand. She clenched her hands and gritted her teeth.

"Hiwatari-kun! Ne, what are you doing sitting here with someone like her? Come join our group." Akane said with a laugh and too cute smile.

Keri grew frustrated immediately and threw the girl off of her with a heated glare. "Get the hell away from me, Akane!"

"I only came here to talk to Hiwatari-kun," she told Keri.

Satoshi glared at the girl and told her firmly, "Unfortunately, I don't want to talk to you. If I did, I would have gone over to your group in the first place. Now, leave me be."

It was abnormal for Satoshi to be this way, especially with a girl, but it was the one moment he was being open with Keri and the little bitch had to butt into their business.

Both girls were taken off guard by Hiwatari's display and choice of words.

"Hiwa...tari-san..." Keri's mouth was open in shock, not believing that he had said that. Someone actually wanted to talk with her, or was it just that Satoshi hated Akane?

Akane on the other hand was frowning slightly. "Soca...well then..."She turned around without another word and walked back to her friends.

Keri followed her with her eyes and found as usual Akane was bitching about how life was unfair and how Satoshi couldn't hang around someone as low-class as her. Lately that's all Keri heard from Akane. Apparently the only person who had the right 'status' to even _look_ at the Hiwatari was herself.

He saw the shock in both girls' eyes after he spoke. He knew he shouldn't have been so mean, but then again, maybe he should have. It worked, apparently, because Akane left. Maybe she wouldn't bother them again.

"I shouldn't have been so mean..." he said, "But it's true. I hope you know that."

Turning back to her drawing she focused on erasing the mark that Akane had 'helped' her make. She had to pause as her right hand lifted to cover her mouth slightly. She was trying so hard not to laugh.

"I guess..." she said lowly. It was easy to see the smile that was so badly hidden behind her hand. She couldn't laugh, could she?

As he overheard Akane talking about how Keri was "low-class", he told Keri, "If anyone is any lower than anyone, it's Akane. The only reason she says those things is because she's jealous of you. Don't let her get to you."

She gave a low laugh, barely audible. "It never really did..." she replied. Giving a sigh she saw it was hopeless. The indentation was too deep. _I guess I'll have to draw it over._

"You shouldn't let it get you either." she said turning her head and giving a light smile to the Hiwatari.

"Right," he said, agreeing. He smiled back, which was something he rarely did.

Why had he let himself become close to her? Become friends with her? The closer they became, the worse Krad would be to her. Why was he doing this?

He looked away from her and buried his face into his hands.

Her smile slipped from her face as she looked towards him. "Hiwatari-san, are you okay?"

Did she do something wrong? She was a little worried about him.

"I'm... just... worried about you, Keri-san," he said. "This Krad guy you told me about... I just have a bad feeling about him. Ever since you told me what he did to you, it has worried me."

It was partly true, so he didn't feel guilty for saying this. He was worried about her, but there was so much more to it than what he had told her.

She shook her head at his worrying. "It's alright. You don't need to worry about me. I haven't seen him for a while now."

In a way she didn't understand why he worried about her. She was just another girl in school. No one important to him.

"That doesn't mean he won't come back," he replied. "What if he kills you? Isn't that what he plans to do?"

He felt a vibe from her, one of confusion. Was she confused as to why he was worried about her?

"I don't know what he plans." she said. "But I don't think it'll be that severe..."

She was twirling her pencil now in thought and staring up at the ceiling. She was giving some thought to Satoshi's words. Was Krad really planning to kill her?

"Possibilities are endless, Keri-san, and you must learn to accept them all."

He knew Krad was planning to kill her. Krad talked about it late at night sometimes. He told Satoshi everything he was going to do to her... Horrible things... Just to hear him talk about them scared him, and he couldn't stand the mental image of Keri's face as Krad did all those things to her... and then killed her.

"I know but...I have a feeling I'll be alright." Her voice was so sure it scared even herself.

Sliding her picture off the table she placed it into her bag and her pencil as well. She knew that Satoshi worried about her slightly, why she didn't know why. It seemed to her that it wasn't even worth the effort.

"You think you're invincible..." he said quietly. "If anything ever happened to you..." He trailed off and took a deep breath before he finished what he was going to say. "You're my only friend, Keri-san. Without you, I don't know what I'd do, honestly."

"No...I just think I'll be...alright..."

She placed her head onto the table, resting on her folded arms. "You're...the same to me ...Hiwatari-san..."

Satoshi smiled at her, as it felt great to finally know that someone actually cared about him. No one had before. "I'll do what I can," he said. "I promise."

And he would. He would fight against Krad. He had before, but he promised himself that he would fight harder from now on.

She gave a light laugh and nodded. "Arigatou, Hiwatari-san..."

Satoshi looked in Akane's direction and saw that her whole group was looking their way. He laughed at them and ignored the things they began to say about them.

"Maybe Krad will eventually find someone else to harass, though I don't want that to happen either."

"Maybe...but I think...he doesn't want me to get close to someone..." she said remembering the angel's words. "I think...it'll be alright..."

"I just think he wants to torture someone. Apparently, he finds amusement in scaring and harassing people. And eventually killing them..." Satoshi knew Krad all too well, and he knew the only reason he was doing any of this was for amusement. "But you're right. We shouldn't worry too much about it."

"Eh?" She lifted her head slightly looking at him in a strange way. "How do you know that's true about him, Hiwatari-san?"

It was strange. She had only given him a simple description of Krad. How could he assume so much?

Satoshi shrugged, finding himself in a rather bad position.

"Don't they all?" he asked. "Unless you think he's different... What kind of person is just going to start harassing an innocent girl such as you unless it's just something they find amusing? That's just my opinion, anyway..."

_Whew..._ he thought. _That was a close one..._

"Just so you know Hiwatari-san...I...am not as 'innocent' as you put me out to be. No one truly is. Innocence is a myth, remember?" 

She ran a hand through her hair and continued to stare at the ceiling. It might've just been her but she could swear that the lunchroom was a lot quieter than before. Her eyes scanned around them but she didn't move her head at all. There was defiantly something strange...

"You're not a bad person if that's what you're trying to say," he said. "But I do understand what you mean. Everyone has something to hide."

He smiled to himself, as she quoted what he had told her when they first met that day in the park. Innocence is a myth…

He, too, noticed that the lunchroom was quieter. Feeling slightly paranoid, he immediately assumed that a lot of people were trying to listen to their conversation. But... there was something else... it seemed...

She only nodded her head this time not even making an effort to speak a response. She gathered her stuff and slung her bag onto her shoulder while the entire time she had kept her eyes closed.

"Arigatou, Hiwatari-san, for taking the time to talk to me." she said with a slight bow. When she had raised her head her eyes were open again in a slight glare to the other people in the lunchroom. She also lowered her voice. "But it seems that...Gomen-ne I have to go."

She walked with her head slightly lowered as she heard whispers. She was going to have to deal with these girls long before she got home. How troublesome...

Satoshi would have tried to stop her and ask her what was wrong, but the paranoia was really getting to him as everyone stared at him. How annoying...

"Ja ne, Keri-san," he said, getting up to leave as well.

He glared at a few of the students, but the coldest glare he gave was to Akane. It was truly ridiculous that he could be friends with anyone of the opposite gender without rumors starting…


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 7

When Satoshi left the lunchroom, he went straight to his next class, P.E. He never did anything there, but the class was required, so he had to go. He used P.E. as his time to think about things thoroughly, which was something he did often anyway. Keri had P.E. at a different time of day, so he would be alone.

Or so he thought.

Taila followed the rest of the students to the gym, looking for Satoshi and Keri. She wanted to meet them. When she saw Satoshi sitting by himself, she assumed that Keri had a different class. She took it as her chance to get to know the boy personally. Using her natural empathy skills as she neared him, she noticed that he was worried about something.

"Konnichiwa," she said when she made her way up to him. "I see your sitting alone."

Satoshi looked up at the girl, giving her his usual cold glare. "Hai, I am," he said, but he figured he ought to be nice to the girl. He had never seen her before; she must've been new. "You can sit with me if you want."

"Arigatou," she said, sitting down next to him. "I'm Taila Jamonal."

"Satoshi Hiwatari," he stated flatly. He really didn't want the girl there. He was to worried about Keri to converse with anyone at the moment. He blamed everything that Krad did to her on himself. He should have had more control over himself.

_Master Satoshi, there's something about that girl. I can sense a power coming from her._

_I don't care, Krad._

He actually did, though. He also sensed the power coming from her, but he tried to ignore it. Just because Krad was worried about it. Well, maybe not worried. He probably just wanted to test his own powers against hers, as he was stupid like that.

Krad growled at Satoshi for thinking that, but he only smiled and tried his best to hide it from Taila.

Taila was looking down at her feet when she suddenly sensed Satoshi's power increase. She looked at him and noticed that he was deep in thought, but it was like he was arguing with someone. Almost like a multiple personality disorder, but that wasn't a power.

"So, how are you liking Azumano?" Satoshi asked.

"It's alright, I guess," she replied. She was still trying to understand human life, and she wondered if she would sound too stupid if she began asking questions.

"Why do people have to go to school?" she asked, her lavender eyes gazing into his royal blue.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow at the girl, but he answered her anyway. "School," he said, "seems pointless to some people, and every thing to others. Children and young adults go to school to get an education and learn new things, so they may have a bright future. But, honestly, school doesn't promise a bright future. That's for fate to decide."

Taila smiled. "Hmm," she said. "That's the most logical thing I've heard all day. And some… no future at all."

With those last words, she thought of Asten. No future. He had no future because he was dead. Watching some of the boys play basketball, she remembered when she used to play with Asten and Tsare. Asten was usually the bad guy that always kidnapped Tsare. Taila would have to save her and beat Asten up. Not that she had much luck, though. Asten was stronger than she was, but it was always fun.

Satoshi thought about her words. He frowned, as it reminded him again of Keri. What if she had no future? What if Krad actually killed her? If Satoshi didn't fight harder against him and gain more control over himself, Krad would kill her.

Taila could feel what he felt, and it hurt her emotionally to even think about what he was going through, whatever that would be. Pain, worry, confusion, misery, and fear. And somehow, she felt it had something to do with this power she felt from him. Maybe, it wasn't a power, but more… a curse.

"But you know?" she said, smiling again. "Some things are just better left unknown."

Satoshi didn't know what in the world she was talking about, but he still thought about it. At first, he was planning on telling Keri about Krad, but now, after Taila said those words, he felt that he should keep it secret.

_Oh, fun. Someone I need to put on my hit list._

_I doubt that. After this conversation, I'm going to avoid her. I don't want you harassing anyone else. Hearing your voice is enough as it is._

_How cold… You'll pay for that, Hikari._

Satoshi felt a sudden pain coursing through his entire body. He bit his bottom lip and tried to fight against Krad, hoping Taila wouldn't notice. He bent over, trying to gain control over himself.

_Damn it, Krad!_

Taila felt a sudden energy boost within the blunette and started to worry. He looked like he was in pain, but by deciphering his emotions, she assumed that it would be better if she just left him alone and pretended like she didn't notice. He seemed to be having some kind of inner conflict… It was so much like split personalities, but it could be! That wasn't a power!

Then, the bell rang, and the pain he felt immediately ceased. He stood up, though rather shakily, and started walking out of the gym, Taila following behind him.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you today, Hiwatari-san," she said. "See you in class! Ja ne!"

She tried to be cheerful as she ran off, leaving the boy to be by himself again.

He was slightly pissed off that Krad had decided to do that so suddenly, but he was also glad that Taila hadn't said anything. He knew, though, that Krad would try to take over tonight as well, and he was already nervous.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 8

Home Economics was never Keri's favorite class, but she was somehow able to tolerate it. Her black hair was pulled back, a few strands falling loosely around her face. Her dark eyes stared blankly at the other side of the room. What if Hiwatari was right? What if Krad did plan to kill her? Before, she wouldn't have minded dying, as she had nothing to live for, but things were different now. She actually had a friend now, someone to care about her.

It was then that the lavender eyed blonde entered the room, the new girl. Taila scanned the room to see if Keri would be there, though her main concern was the Hiwatari. He had not looked so well at P.E. She wondered if he was doing alright.

When Taila spotted Keri sitting by herself, looking rather spaced out, she sat next to her, avoiding eye contact.

_She doesn't look so well either. I wonder if their powers are somehow connected… It would make sense, I guess._

Keri had hardly noticed the girl's presence. She turned to look at her, coming out of her trance, and stared coldly at her. It wasn't that the girl had done anything wrong. Keri had assumed that it was one of Akane's friends who had come to say something about her and Satoshi at lunch earlier. Rumors were already flying everywhere.

"Who might you be?" Keri asked quietly, not recognizing the girl at all.

"Taila Jamonal," she said, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. She looked at Keri and noticed the cold stare she was receiving. "I'm new here… Does someone else sit here?"

Keri shook her head, a bit relieved that the girl wasn't here to annoy her. "No, no one sits here," she said, her cold glare becoming a bit warmer. "Keri Anida."

Taila smiled and restlessly kicked her legs back and forth. "You're only the second person I've met today. Last period, I met a handsome blunette boy. His name was Satoshi Hiwatari."

"Hiwatari-san?" Keri asked. "What a coincidence. He's my best friend."

Taila smiled and leaned back in her chair. "He's a sweet boy. Quiet and intelligent, and he's very mysterious. The whole time I was talking to him, though, he seemed like he was worried about something. Almost to the point of losing his sanity."

Taila laughed lightly, sensing the way Keri cared about the boy. She could tell that they had a lot in common and that they were very close.

Keri shook her head, laughing lightly. "That's Satoshi-kun for you," she said. Her smile was fake though, as she knew exactly what he was worrying about: her. Why did he worry about her so? He was so selfless, and she knew that he cared about her deeply as a friend.

"He's a strange character," Taila said, hoping she could get some information from Keri. "It's almost like he hiding something. I must say I'm curious. I hate sounding nosey like this, but he's quite interesting."

"Hai, he is interesting," Keri agreed, wondering what the girl meant by him hiding something. "What would he be hiding, though?"

It was then that she noticed Akane on the other side of the room, giving her a death glare which was anything but intimidating. Keri rolled her eyes and ignored the girl, hearing her classmates whisper more things about her and Hiwatari, added on with Taila trying to steal him from her. It was quite ridiculous, but she was starting to find it amusing, as they were being really stupid and immature.

Taila had also noticed the gossiping and completely forgot Keri's question. "What is it with these people?" she asked. "They are blessed with life and this is how they use it, by not really having one at all."

Keri nodded in agreement, vaguely intrigued by the girl's wisdom and understanding. "I thought Hiwatari-san and I were the only ones," she said.

"No," Taila said. "You're not alone."

The teacher then came in and called the class to order. Everyone immediately obeyed. They would be taking notes today, and Keri did as she was asked. She took the correct notes and such, but Taila was taking notes on something else. She wrote down the information she had gathered from Keri and Satoshi that day.

_It seems that some humans have supernatural powers that are somewhat similar to mine. I first met Satoshi Hiwatari. He seemed a bit flustered over something, but I still do not know exactly what it was. He began acting so strange, and his power seemed to grow. It was almost like the power of two people instead of one. I've yet to place my theory in this. As for Keri Anida, her power is different from the Hiwatari's. Hers is not near as strong, but it is unique. She doesn't seem to have much control over it. The power seems to have more control over her. Almost like possession, but that can't be what it is. I also noticed how Satoshi Keri care for each other. I don't believe they have known each other very long at all, but they seem to realize how much they have in common and how different they are from everyone else. They are best friends, and it makes me miss my home. I miss the Heavens, and I miss Tsare and Asten. I wonder, though, if Keri and Satoshi will be able to take the place of the friends I lost due to false accusations. Time will tell… -Taila_


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 9

Keri was sitting on the sand, some distance away from the shore. It was night once again with the stars bright in the sky. It was a new moon that night so it was also quite dark. Giving a faint sigh she ran her hand over the sand before closing her eyes and felt a light breeze blow past her face.

Her crimson wings were folded neatly on her back as the mask rested on top of her head. She didn't worry about anyone seeing her, as it was quite late, not to mention she was suffocating under the mask.

Taking in another deep breath she slid the mask back down over her face and stared at the ocean with half-lidded eyes. The sea air was making her a little drowsy.

"It's a good thing I came out while the brat was sleeping," Krad said coldly to himself from some distance away from Keri. "Now, I can have my fun without any interruptions!"

Spreading his white wings, he flew through the air and landed several feet behind Keri. He walked slowly up behind her, smiling to himself. Seeing that she was sitting down, he kneeled in the sand and ran his hand through her hair. He knew this would catch her off guard and couldn't resist himself.

She froze for a second at the unfamiliar touch before she jolted immediately away. She stumbled over her feet before she happened to catch her balance enough to turn around. Her breath was already stolen away from her so she couldn't have been more shock than she could've been.

"K...Krad-san..." she said quietly.

"Hai," he said, making his way closer to her. "Did you think I was lying when I said I'd come back for you?"

He enclosed her with his wings and stared into her eyes. His eyes seemed so lifeless. They also seemed heartless, as they seemed to reflect his soul. His smirk was enough to make you want to turn away from him, as it meant he planned to do something evil... as usual.

_Damn, I'd didn't think It'd be this fast though... _she thought.

She gasped as he forced her forward into him. The golden eyes pierced strangely through her, and she had trouble pulling away. She tore her eyes away and looked at the darkness within her mask. He was scaring her again. "Get...away..."

Krad framed her face with his hands, pulling her closer to him. He saw the fear in her eyes as he let one hand remove her mask. "No one can stop me. Not even you," he said, coldly.

She gasped with protest as he took the mask off. The cold air hit her face and she winced squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again to meet the piercing golden eyes.

"S...stop it..."

"Oh, come on," he said, smirking. "I've only just begun."

_What would scare her the most?_ he thought to himself. _What would make her fear me more... if that's possible?_

He laughed to himself quietly as he thought of what he could do to her. He pressed his lips to hers, as much as this wasn't really his "thing", just to make her fear him more.

She gave a short gasp as he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened as her hands twitched on her sides as if wanting to push him away but she was too struck with shock. What was he doing?

Krad grinned and ran his tongue over her lips and then up her face. Then, he gripped her hair in the back of her head as hard as he could. His other hand, he placed around her throat.

She groaned in disgust as she tried to pull away from him. She hissed as he tugged her hair back before gathering herself to shove him away. "Bastard!"

"You can't get away from me," he said. "Accept it. No matter how hard you try and fight against me, no matter how many times you try to run away, I will always catch up to you, and I will always get my way."

"No," she said as he gripped his hands around her arms. "What do you want from me!"

"Everything he cares for… I destroy…"

She stumbled away from Krad and flapped her wings darting into the sky. Both her hands came up to her face and wiped all traces of saliva from her face. She was completely disgusted that she had just stood there and not done a thing. _What the hell is wrong with me!_ she thought with frustration.

Krad smirked as he watched she took off to the skies, spreading his own wings and flying to catch up to her.

_I have to get her back for the name-calling... No one does that and gets away with it._

She flapped her wings fast in a desperate attempt to get away from him. She wasn't used to the cold air, so she was quickly out of breath. _Leave me alone, leave me alone._ "Leave me alone!"

He saw that she was running out of breath and slowing down. He sped up and began to catch up to her..

Did she honestly think words could stop him? There was no way he would ever let anything stop him.

As he caught up to her he wrapped his arms around her, one around her neck and one around her chest, from behind. He held her tightly as her wings began to tangle with his, but he was still able to maneuver them and keep them in the air.

She gave a surprised gasp as she was pulled back. Her hand gripped the air as if to pull herself away from him but unfortunately she failed.

Let go of me!" she screamed. She flailed her arms and legs desperately trying to regain control with her wings. It didn't matter if he dropped her. She just wanted to get away from the him.

Krad scraped his teeth along her neck and whispered in her ear. "I won't let you go. Everything he cares for must be destroyed..." He laughed and tightened his grip around her neck, surely cutting off her air supply.

This was it. He was going to kill her. He was going to end it, and Satoshi would be friendless once again.

That's when the least expected happened.

_KRAAAAD!_

Satoshi voice rang loud and clear in Krad's mind. He felt him taking over again, and his wings began to disappear. As Satoshi began to take control, he let Keri go. He knew she would be okay, as she had wings to save herself. As for him, he would just let himself fall into the ocean below them, and he doubted that he would survive.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 10

At first she was in a daze. When she caught sight of light blue hair falling next to her, she jolted back into consciousness. Her wings flapped once before she glided over to the boy and caught him. She held him around his waist straining slightly against his weight but she managed to keep them afloat.

Where had Krad gone?

Satoshi groaned, wondering why he had not hit the ground or the water, when he looked up and saw that Keri had caught him.

"K- keri-san!" he said, panicking. What could he tell her? If he told her the truth, she would be angry, but what else could he say?

"H-Hiwatari-san?" She finally noticed that was who she had caught. She was as surprised as he was, maybe even more. "Nande..." She looked around and sure enough Krad wasn't there but...A cold chill went down her back just then and her eyes widened. _Kuso..._

She flapped her wings again and soared onto the sands. Placing the boy onto the ground she backed away from him slightly as she folded her wings onto her back. Then she lowered her head almost shivering.

_It wasn't suppose to happen like this...Hiwatari-san...wasn't suppose to know...no one was..._ Her secret was out. But what she didn't know was that he had known for a while now.

Why was she backing away from him like this? Did she see Krad transform back into him? What he didn't know was that she was embarassed that he had seen her wings, while he thought it was because she knew that he was Krad.

"Keri-san... I can explain..."

"Please...I..." she gasped abruptly and fell to the ground holding her stomach. "Agh..." She hissed as her wings disappeared back into her. When they disappeared completely, she collapsed onto the sands shivering.

"I..." What was she suppose to say?

Satoshi felt tears forming in his eyes as he watched her collapse to the ground. He rushed to her, dropping to his knees in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Keri-san..."

"Hiwatari-san...Why are you..." She was surprised by his action. She had never been hugged by anyone before. Except for Krad. If only she knew the irony of all this.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked quietly. 

"You backed away from me... You must have saw..." he said, the tears in his eyes now streaming down his face.

"Hiwatari-san..." She lowered her eyes as she could _feel_ him crying. "What was I suppose to see?"

She was completely clueless. Why was he sounding so guilty, and why was he crying?

She didn't see... Now , he had done it. His secret could have been hidden from her for a little while longer, and he had to get emotional. Now, she knew he was hiding something, and he knew he had to tell her.

"Do you... know why you caught me? Do you know why I was up there?"

"No..." She couldn't answer his question. Why was he up there in the first place? Did Krad happen to get to him? Then it occurred to her that, that would be impossible in a matter of a spilt second. So what was it?

"Do you know where Krad went to... Keri-san?" he asked.

Maybe she would put it together herself, and he wouldn't have to tell her. He didn't know if he could. He still held her in his arms as he spoke to her, and tears still ran down his face.

"No..." she answered quietly. It was strange to be in his embrace but nonetheless she rested her cheek on his shoulder so she wouldn't have to hold herself up in a strange position where she was kneeling.

"Gomen-nasai Hiwatari-san..."

He held his breath for a moment and told her, "He's inside me, Keri-san. We are... the same person... but not."

"Huh?" At first she barely heard it but then it slowly sunk in. "Krad-san...is...but how?"

She couldn't believe it; there was no way. But if she could fly, maybe this was possible, too.

Satoshi leaned back, hiding his face from her. "Gomenasai. I tried so hard to keep him away from you... Generations ago, my ancestors created an artwork called the Black Wings. They were going to bring the artwork to life, but there was a problem... Dark, Phantom Thief Dark, and Krad were born from the Black Wings. Dark is one half, and Krad is the other. That was about 300 years ago. Krad lives inside me. Dark lives inside the DNA of someone else. It's a family curse... For my family and the family whom Dark dwells within…"

"Dark...Kaitou Dark?" she asked. She placed his hands on his shoulders lightly before she pushed him off her lightly to look at his face. "Hiwatari-san..."

She was feeling sorry for the boy. She felt as if he was suffering because of her. "I'm...sorry. It's my fault..."

"No, it's not," he said. "I should have fought harder against Krad. I should have gained more control over myself. Then, none of this would have happened... Gomenasai, Keri-san. This should have never happened to you."

As he looked at her, tears continued to flow down his cheeks. His eyes were swollen and red, and his light blue hair was nothing short of messy.

"Hiwatari-san..." She lifted her hand up and wiped the tears away from his face. It had made her almost want to cry as well. "I'm alright...so you don't need to feel so guilty...I'm sure that...it's not your fault."

He tried to gain his breath as she wiped the tears from his eyes. Then, he said quietly, "He almost killed you... And I felt... I felt you struggling. I felt your fear..."

"It's alright..." Keri replied. "I don't...really think it matters."

She gave a light smile and hugged the boy resting her chin on his shoulder. "You shouldn't cry Hiwatari-san...It's not a good look for you..."

"I don't care how I look..." he replied, his eyes downcast. He stopped crying anyway, and looked up at her again. "I promise I'll try and control him better, okay?"

"No..." she said pushing his hair up to meet his eyes. "Worry about yourself, not me. I don't want you to worry."

"For my sake, too. Imagine having someone else living inside you... and having to watch them do to me as Krad has done to you. It kills me inside to watch him do that to you."

He still gazed into her eyes as he tried to make her understand. Of course he was going to worry about her, and it didn't matter what she told him, he was going to.

Her eyes widened in surprised at his response before nodding slightly. "I understand, Hiwatari-san."

She stood up slowly before wincing slightly in pain. She always felt weird after her wings had disappeared. Nonetheless even with the physical pain she could still feel the emotional. She was powerless to do a thing and she was hurting Satoshi as well as herself.

"Maybe I should carry you," he said, standing up. "You look weak."

"There's no need...I'm alright." She placed a hand onto her forehead before realizing something and looked down. "Ne, do you still have it? My mask that Krad-san took before."

She was rather glad that she was able to change the subject. It would've been awkward for her to be carried by him.

He didn't have it on him, but he noticed something lying in the sand several feet away. He walked over and picked up what turned out to be her mask, brushed it off, and handed it to her.

"You're weak. Are you sure you'll be able to make it home alright?"

"Arigatou." she said as she placed it securely to rest on her head. She nodded reassuringly at him. "I'll find a way to."

"I'll walk with you then," he said. "Make sure you make it alright."

He was afraid she wouldn't make it home. She seemed so weak. Of course, why shouldn't she be? Krad had nearly killed her. He wasn't about to let her go home alone.

She nodded again. "Arigatou, Hiwatari-san."

She started walking even stumbling a little but she refused any help from the boy. It was enough that he had to watch over her. She didn't want him to be bothered anymore. It was strange to finally have someone know her secret, though he knew before too, but it was even better that she finally understood how Satoshi knew so much about her encounter with Krad. He should've just straight-out told her.

But maybe like her...He was afraid of what someone else might think of their strange 'condition.'


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 11

She staggered up the stairs, still not accepting the help of Satoshi. She had to do this alone and not be dependent on him. She couldn't or else she would be bounded by this. She didn't want to be left hanging if he ever happened to disappear.

The main point was, she didn't want to get hurt.

Satoshi noticed that something was bothering her. Something other than Krad. Of course, he being the person he was, immediately began to worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "And tell me the truth."

"Nothing..." she muttered. Reaching the last step, she dragged herself to her door and slipped the key in. Pushing the door open, she flipped the lights on and collapsed onto the couch. She was still conscious, but she couldn't hold herself up any longer.

"Nothing..." he said, echoing her words. "I'm afraid I don't believe that." He sat down next to her and tried to look into her eyes. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that nothing is bothering you."

"There's nothing wrong," she said, still not looking him in the eyes. One, for fear that he might find out the truth Two, she was just too lazy to do it. She did, however, move her arms so that her head could rest on them. She might've probably fallen asleep if Satoshi wasn't there.

She buried her head into her arms to block out the light and to lessen the chance of Satoshi looking at her. It unnerved her somewhat.

Satoshi sighed and tried to believe her, but the way she spoke to her... She sounded worried about something. Scared of something. And he didn't think it had anything to do with Krad. It could have been that she was tired, but she didn't even bother to tell him that much.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

She shuffled slightly in her position not knowing what she wanted at the moment. He had already walked her home, and that was enough bothering him since they both had gone through very harsh transformations.

"You can stay if you want to..." she muttered lowly. Her voice was so muffled that she didn't even know if he heard her.

"Alright," he said, taking her hand. He only wanted her to know that he was there for her. He just knew there was something troubling her, and he wished for more than anything in the world that she would be honest with him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine... Hiwatari-san," she said. Her eyes were averted from him and a little spaced off. It really surprised her when he took her hand, but she didn't act as violently as she would have if she was fully aware of things.

Satoshi released her hand and ran it through his light blue hair. He closed his eyes, trying to let everything that had happened that night sink in. It seemed so unreal that Keri had actually almost died. All of it did. His whole life... everything.

He looked away from her and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry for everything..."

When he removed his hand, hers fell limp for a moment before closing slowly. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. It isn't your fault." she whispered quietly.

He was too much like her. Always blaming himself for everything even though it wasn't his fault. She only blamed herself because there was no one else to blame. It seemed that whatever went wrong was only her own fault and no one else's.

"Stop telling me that," he said, burying his face into his hands. "I shouldn't have allowed myself to get close to you. If I hadn't, Krad would have never bothered you. It's just as much my fault as it is his. I knew this was going to happen."

"So... you want me to hate you for it..." she dragged herself up and gave him a slight hug from behind, resting her cheek on his shoulder. From her shallow breaths, it was easy to tell that she was tired, but she still forced herself to stay awake.

She really did like the boy, despite of what she told Akane, and it worried and hurt her that Satoshi was feeling so guilty about something so small. In her view, her life wasn't very important.

Satoshi felt a new kind of happiness as she hugged him. He felt as if no matter what happened, they would always be friends.

"No," he said. "But I guess you have a point there."

He closed his eyes, feeling her breath down his neck as she embraced him, her head resting on his shoulder. He was so thankful for that. Just to feel her breathing. It reminded him that she was alive, despite what had happened, and for some reason, he felt that everything was going to be okay.

"I thought so," she said just before she lost consciousness.

He was glad that she was asleep, as she needed the rest. He would've have left or at least lay her in a more comfortable position, but instead, he leaned back on the arm of the couch and laid her on his chest. He was scared to leave her alone. He sat up slightly, knowing that if he went to sleep, that Krad would take over again. He was exhausted, but he absolutely refused to sleep.

It was warm. Warm like she'd never felt before. She did drift in and out, but she didn't want to open her eyes. She snuggled closer to the warmth wrapping her arms around the boy's neck, even though she didn't know it. Due the fact that she didn't have a blanket, it was a little chilly, but it was still strangely warm. She didn't take the time to decipher the difference why, though.

Satoshi blushed lightly as Keri wrapped her arms around his neck. Seeing that she was cold, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely to him. He felt a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't let it bother him. It actually felt nice to fell her heart beating against his, as well as the warmth of her body.

The moonlight beamed through the windows, and he wanted so much to get some sleep, but every time he heard Keri take a breath, it made him that much determined to stay awake. He wanted to keep hearing her breath, as he knew that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 12

Just out of habit Keri had woken up as the sunlight streamed through the window. It was morning. Though her eyes hadn't completely opened, she knew there was something different Something out of the ordinary.

A hazy thought reached her mind as she opened her eyes slowly.

Satoshi was still awake, as he had stayed up all night. He was afraid Krad would come out again, and he had to make sure he didn't. Luckily, Krad made no attempt.

When he felt Keri stirring, he looked at her and saw that she was awake. She looked surprised. Apparently, she hadn't noticed until now that she was sleeping on top of him.

"Uh... Good Morning... Keri-san..." he said, blushing.

"Hi-Hiwatari-san!" She jumped up and in result fell onto the floor rather clumsily. She was blushing hotly. What had happened the night before? Was she so weak that she lost consciousness on him? She felt so humiliated.

She was screaming at herself in her mind, but she hadn't moved an inch from her spot on the floor. This couldn't be happening.

Satoshi got up quickly at sat down in front of her on the floor. "Gomenasai, Keri-san," he said. He saw that she was blushing and tried to make it look like he didn't notice. "Are you alright?"

"...I'm fine..." she muttered. She then shot up and rushed to the bathroom, hiding her face. "Gomen."

She slammed the door behind her before sliding down to the floor hugging herself. _I am such an idiot...I should've just told him to leave...I should've..._ Dragging herself from the floor, she turned the sink on and splashed water on her face, looking at herself in the mirror.

Satoshi sat on the couch and hid his face with his hands. Leaning back, he almost fell asleep, as he had been awake all night. He fought the exhaustion, though, and he felt horrible for staying with Keri. It was all his fault, but he didn't know what else to do. Just leave? Maybe he should leave now... No, he had to make sure she was alright.

Once she was done in the bathroom, she changed her clothes back into her uniform. Giving a sigh and collecting herself, she opened the door and walked out into her living room.

"...Did you get any sleep at all?" she saw that he was a little dazed out, now that she had a clear look at him.

"No..." he said. "I was afraid Krad would take over again. Look, I'm really, really sorry. It's just that you passed out, being so exhausted, and I was afraid to leave you here alone. So, I stayed up all night while you slept."

"..Oh.." She looked slightly embarrassed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Ano...I'll do you some good to get some sleep, Hiwatari-san...School doesn't start for another 3 hours so I think it'll be alright if you rest for a while."

She started to walk towards the kitchen with her hands clasped behind her back. "You don't have to be sorry, Hiwatari-san. Thank you for taking care of me, though." The smile could actually be seen on her face even though she wasn't facing him. "You need to get some sleep, though."

"No," he said, following her into the kitchen. "I'll be fine. Once I get moving around--" He covered his mouth, and let out a big yawn. "I'll wake up."

He sat down at the table and laid his head down. He would just rest his eyes... only for a little while...

Taking a quick glance at the boy she gave a light smile, glad that he was getting his rest, despite the fact of where he took it. Having someone in her home was a little strange in itself too... She then sat down next to him to see if he was still awake.

He was almost asleep when he heard Keri sit down next to him. He was glad that she did, as he really, _really_ didn't want Krad to take over, due to his own exhaustion.

She was slightly worried that he was looking so terrible, and she hoped that he didn't pass out in school or anything.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Ah..." She nodded slightly, feeling a blush growing on her cheeks. "You should've gotten some sleep, Hiwatari-san..."

"No," he said. "I couldn't risk going to sleep. Krad might have taken over again. You would have been more vulnerable than before. Don't worry about me. I'm fine, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"You need the sleep, Hiwatari-san... I don't want you to pass out in school..." she said with a light laugh.

She didn't want him to have trouble because he didn't get any sleep. It was because he didn't get sleep that Krad could take over easily... She smiled to herself, though, realizing that she worried about him almost as much as he worried about her.

"Well, a few hours isn't going to do me much good," he said. "I might as well stay up and keep you company."

"It's alright. I don't mind the lonliness..." she said, looking slightly spaced out.

Satoshi noticed the distant look in her eyes. Something was wrong. Was she still embarrassed about sleeping on him?

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um...nothing..." she muttered as always.

Satoshi sighed impatiently, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Please tell me," he said.

Past the weariness in his eyes, you could see worry. His blue eyes that usually looked so cold and distant somehow looked warm, and they stared right into Keri's.

"Stop it..." she said, placing a hand over the boy's eyes. She didn't know what was wrong; she had never been in this situation before and he being there still made her a little uncomfortable. 

"G-gomen...asai..." he said before removing his hands from her shoulders.

Her hand slipped away from his eyes as she got up and backed away from him. She clicked her tongue before shaking her head. "Stop apologizing."

She turned from the boy and walked to her room to pick up her bag. Checking that everything was there, she slung it onto her back and walking back to the living room.

When she came back into the living room, he felt the need to say he was sorry again, but she had told him to stop apologizing. Instead, he said nothing, as he didn't know of anything else to say. he sat down on the couch and rested his chin on his fists.

She had taken a look at the clock before picking up her keys and looking back to Satoshi. "It's almost time for school. I'm guessing that you don't have your school things yet so you can get them now without being late."

She wasn't trying to kick him out but they really had to go.

"Right," he said, almost emotionless.

He walked outside but was temporarily blinded by the sun. It gave him a slight headache, and that added on with his exhaustion. He continued walking, though rather slowly, as he had to get home and get his things for school. He just hoped he made it.

"Do you...need help getting home?" she asked trying to repay him back.

"Um..." he said rather drowsily. "I think I'll make it."

He appreciated her kindness, but he felt as if he should just let her be alone for a while anyway. Because earlier... He still felt bad about that.

"Ah...alright...I'll see you at school, Hiwatari-san." She turned the opposite direction and walked away from him. She hoped he would be alright, and as of the moment Krad, didn't seem so scary anymore.

It wasn't long before Satoshi got home. He walked through the front door and collapsed on the couch. He fell asleep instantly and would just have to miss school that day...


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 13

As Taila was walking to school by herself, she suddenly felt paranoid. She was always one to trust her instincts, as Angelic instincts were almost always accurate. She looked around, scanning the surroundings. She thought she saw something flying towards her… White wings… An angel! Did they finally realize that she was innocent? Had they come back for her finally? But her intuition was telling her differently. A thousand voices were screaming at her mentally to run away. But, angels weren't mean, why was her intuition telling her otherwise?

Perhaps it was because, once the winged figure came closer, she saw the look of evil in his eyes. He wore a white trench coat. His long, blonde hair flowed behind him as he came closer, his golden eyes glowing dangerously. She would have turned and run away, but it was too late. He landed next to her, wrapping his fingers tightly around her neck.

Taila struggled for breath before kneeing him in the crotch. A moan escaped his lips as she tried to take off again. Unfortunately, he didn't let her attack stop him. He was in pain, but he pulled her back by her blonde hair, throwing her roughly onto the ground.

"Shit!" she said, kicking her legs desperately in attempt to escape from his clutches.

"Don't hit me there, bitch," he ordered firmly, pulling her back to her feet, still by her hair.

"Yaro!" she screamed, wincing as he pulled her up again. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Krad ignored her question and forced her to face him. He then punched her in the gut, knocking the breath out of her. She gasped for air as she held her stomach. He normally wouldn't have been this rough until later, but she had really pissed him off, and he wouldn't tolerate it.

She refused to cry out, as she knew that would only please him. She just stood there, pretending like what he did to her was almost nothing. She lifted her head up, glared dangerously at him. He was not intimidated, but she did notice a long strand of blonde hair coming across his face, which wore a cold expression. She reached up and grabbed his hair, pulling herself up and pulling him down a little bit. She let go when she was looking straight into his golden eyes.

He was surprised by her actions. Why wasn't she afraid of him?

Come to think of it, he didn't really care. He didn't want to do all that much to her in the daytime anyway. The only reason he had even come out here was because Satoshi had passed out, and he could easily take over. He decided to leave Keri alone for now, though. There was Taila to worry about. A new threat to the reason of his existence. To kill Dark Mousy. He couldn't do that if Satoshi was going to go off and make friends and things like that. Satoshi was _his_. Not anyone else's. He didn't care about Satoshi, though. The only thing he was good for was his body which he hosted, his only way to exist.

Taila stared into his eyes still, gasping for breath from the previous blow. "Don't mess with me," she ordered.

Krad laughed lightly at her attempt to intimidate him. "I'll do as I wish. When I'm in this form anyway."

He grabbed her shoulder and forced her down onto the ground. He moved on top of her, pressing all of his weight onto her torso. His face was only an inch from hers, her hot breath rushing down his neck. He smirked, though he didn't see the first trace of fear in her eyes… yet.

He then pressed his groin down, nearing his face closer to hers. "Don't mess with you? And who's going to stop me?" he asked, his golden eyes staring coldly into her lavender, which reflected his dangerous expression. He saw himself in her eyes, and he had to admit, he couldn't look much scarier.

"Stop it," she ordered, her eyes reduced to tiny slits as she glared at him.

"I've only just begun," he told her. "I don't plan to do anything to you now, but I can promise you that I will."

Taila sighed in annoyance and shook her head. "I'm not afraid of you," she stated flatly.

It angered him that she wasn't afraid. He could sense that she was telling the truth; she wasn't just saying that. She really wasn't scared, not at all. He was even tempted to just go ahead and kill her right now, but there was also that power he had sensed from her the day before, and his curiosity was getting the best of him.

Taila continued to stare at him, showing no fear in her expression. Although, she wished that he would just go ahead and do whatever he wanted to with her. Waiting was becoming quite annoying, and it wasn't like he could kill her. She was a Fallen Angel after all. Even Fallens were still immortal.

"Good day, Mademoiselle," he said, getting up. He didn't hit her again, but he pulled out a feather just in case she tried to attack him. The feather gave a faint glow of magic, powering up for an attack, daring her to try something.

Taila got up, brushing herself off. Why the hell had this guy attacked her if that was all he was going to do? "What the hell was that for anyway?" she asked, a dangerous tone in her voice. "Attack me and act like you're going to rape me or kill me or something, but that's really it?"

Krad raised an eyebrow at the girl. It sounded pretty much like she was asking for pain. Stupid girl. "Is that what you want?" he asked. "If you want me to, I will."

Taila let out a low growl at him, her eyes a deep purple with rage and annoyance. No, she didn't want him to. She was just confused at his stupidity, really.

Krad nodded and gave her a light smile. "I thought so. Now, good day, Mademoiselle."

He spread his white wings, his blonde hair billowing behind him. He hovered above the ground for a moment. After giving her a quick, menacing smirk, he took off into the air, leaving her alone.

"You coward!" she screamed, but he was already too far away to hear her. What was wrong with him? Was he just trying to scare her? If that's what he wanted, he wasn't doing a good job. She ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it again for school. She just dared Akane to say something to her today; she wasn't in a good mood.


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 14

School wasn't the same without the Hiwatari. Keri hadn't had not expected him to come. She had actually hoped that he went straight home and went to sleep, as he really needed the rest. Although she worried all day about him, she couldn't help but love him because of what he had done for her. Who couldn't love Satoshi, though? He was so sweet once you got to know him.

Taila had come in late, and she looked pretty pissed off about something. Keri didn't ask her why, not that she needed to. Akane did that for her. She and her group of friends had come up to them and asked Taila if she was so mad because Satoshi turned her down. That didn't turn out pretty.

Taila answered Akane by punching her straight in the nose, breaking it. Akane's friends left her there in the middle of the hallway, her tears mixing with the blood. Keri had stood back and watched, a surprised expression on her face. She was amused, though, and she congratulated Taila afterwards. This made the blonde feel a little bit better to get her anger out and to be praised for it. Taila would have been suspended from school, but they let her slide since it was her first offence.

As Keri walked home by herself, she worried about Satoshi. She hoped he had made it home, and she was also scared that Krad had tried to take over again while he slept. She walked to the front door, unlocking it, just as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Keri-san," said the male voice.

She spun around in surprise, only to find that it was Satoshi. He looked like he had just woke up, and she gave him a light smile as she opened the door, inviting him in.

"Hiwatari-san, I've been worried about you," she said happily. "Did you get some sleep?"

Satoshi walked inside behind her, his head down. He wasn't as tired as before, but he felt bad for not going to school. He didn't want Keri to worry.

"Gomen," he said. "I got some sleep, but I didn't want you to worry."

"Satoshi-kun," she said, shaking her head. "You're so selfless."

Satoshi smiled at her and sat down on the couch. "I hope you don't mind me coming over; I just wanted to tell you I was sorry for not coming to school today."

Keri sat next to him and lightly pushed his shoulder. "Stop apologizing, Hiwatari-san. Do you want something to eat? I bet you haven't eaten all day."

He shook his head. "I'm fine," he told her. "Thanks, though." He frowned slightly, remembering just moments before when he woke up on the bed. He was sure he had passed out on the couch.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the worry in his eyes.

Satoshi didn't hesitate to answer her; he didn't want her to worry. "I could have sworn I passed out on the couch this morning," he said, looking away from her, his blue eyes seemingly in a daze. "But I woke up on the bed. No one could have moved me there, and I never sleep walk. I was afraid… that maybe Krad had taken over while I was sleeping. You didn't see him, did you?"

Keri shook her head. "No, I didn't. Maybe you just don't remember clearly, Satoshi-san."

Satoshi nodded, though her words did not keep him from worrying. "That's another reason I came here. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Keri smiled. "You're a great friend, Hiwatari-san. Thank you."

Satoshi looked at her and returned her smile. He noticed how beautiful Keri was when she smiled. At the moment, her black locks were falling elegantly around her delicate face, framing it perfectly. Her smile seemed to make it glow, and even her dark, usually cold, eyes seemed happy.

"You're a great friend, too," he said, noticing an alien feeling in his heart that seemed to burn inside him, desperately wanting to escape. It was painful, but strangely tolerable. In fact, he liked this feeling.

Keri reached over and removed his glasses, setting them on a nearby table. "You have pretty eyes, Hiwatari-san. It's a shame you have to hide them like that."

Satoshi leaned closer to her, staring straight into her eyes. He was so close to her. An inch more and they could kiss. He didn't dare get closer, though. His heart started to beat faster and harder, almost to the point to where it felt as if it was going to come out of his chest.

Keri felt a little uncomfortable at first by his closeness. "Is something wrong?" she whispered.

He could feel her breath creeping down his neck as she spoke, but he couldn't comprehend anything she said. He could see that she was uncomfortable, though, so he leaned back again. His eyes diverted away from her. "Gomenasai," he said quietly, not even sure if she heard him or not.

Keri stared blankly at him, confused by his behavior. "Satoshi-san…" she said, faintly. She looked down at her feet. She really liked the boy, but the closeness had made her nervous. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

She didn't know why, but she laid down, resting her head in his lap. She placed a hand on his knee, scraping her index fingernail over the cap. Her eyes were half-way closed, and she couldn't for her life figure out why she was laying on him like this.

Satoshi blushed lightly and placed his hand over her head. He stroked her hair, running his fingers through it. A light smile spread across his face, his heartbeat slowing.

Not a word was exchanged between the two. The only sound in the room was their soft breathing, and it wasn't long before they were both asleep, in that same position.


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Chapter 15

Keeai still had not forgiven himself. It seemed as if he never would. Everyday, the guilt only became worse, but at least his precious daughter was safe. All his life, he had wanted a daughter, but he still could not believe he sacrificed his son to protect that daughter. The daughter's friend was a troublemaker. The girl had a temper as well, and she was always fighting with his son. Over stupid things, really. He had always believed she secretly loved him, and he couldn't have that either.

He hated that girl. Hated her with a passion. And Keeai was not one to hate so easily. He did look mean, though, standing well over six feet. He wore black robes and had blue-black wings, being the Angel of Death. He was also the angel that was responsible for deciding the banishment of other angels. It just fit his natural cruel personality, which could also tell a person why he sacrificed his son, his only son.

He had hated that girl more than he loved his own son. And it was all for what? To protect his only daughter, the dead boy's twin sister whom he loved more than his own life. It must have been why he didn't fight against his father when he came into his room than night.

"I'm doing this to protect your sister," he had told the boy, so he just laid there and let the man sever his head. The next day, when she had found her brother's body, Keeai had told her that her friend was the last person seen with him, that she must have been the one who killed him. She frantically shook her head, screaming, "No! No! No!" She didn't believe him, but all the other angels had. Keeai cut off the girl's wings himself and banished her from the Heavens.

His daughter hadn't been the same. Without the two people she cared about most in her life, she had gone almost mentally insane. Although, he kept telling her, "I told you not to be friends with that girl! I told you she was trouble! Still, you refused to obey me, your father!"

She had screamed at him, telling him, "She didn't kill him! I know she didn't! She loved him. She told me that she loved him the night he died." Tears streamed down the girl's face as she ran out of the room.

Keeai remembered that, and that was why he felt guilty. By protecting his daughter, he had hurt her. Hurt her badly, leaving permanent scars on her delicate soul.

He was sitting at the table now, burying his face into the palms of his hands. His black, shoulder-length hair hid the tears flowing from his eyes.

"Father," came the girl's voice, breaking him from his concentration. She was standing in the doorway, her brown hair matted and soaked with tears. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and he could tell by the look in her emerald orbs that she had been looking through old things of her brother's again.

"Yes," he said, not looking at her, refusing to let her see him in tears.

"I've been thinking…" She stared down at her feet, her white robe still stained with her brother's blood from when she had found him dead. When she had knelt beside him in the pool of his own blood and held his lifeless body, crying as if her tears could bring him back to life somehow. "I've been thinking… that maybe he killed himself."

"Darling," he said impatiently but kindly. "How can someone sever their own head? He was murdered. Taila killed him; you should know that by now."

"But, Father…" She looked at him pleadingly, her green eyes full of vain and despair. It hurt for him to even look at her. "She loved him."

"Did you ever think that maybe she said that to you so that you would doubt that she killed him? Think of how much they fought. And she said she loved him when? The night that he died? It was obviously a cover-up, Tsare."

"But, Father!" She was yelling now, more tears flooding down her face. "I found something…" she said quietly. She held up a piece of paper. It had writing on it. Was it… a letter?

He got up, his head down, and snatched the letter from her, reading it carefully.

_Sacrifices are not always the easiest thing to make. Especially when you're sacrificing your own life for the person you love. If my life is taken, I can protect her. I don't know how quite yet, but I am confident that I will know soon enough. So, this is my goodbye. My farewell. Whoever reads this, tell everyone to remember me. And even though I am now dead, I still live in all your hearts._

_ASTEN_

By the time he was finished reading it, he remembered. Asten had asked him to hold on a second before he kill him. He remembered him writing something down on a sheet of paper and shoving it carelessly in his desk. He remembered watching the boy cry while he wrote it. Keeai looked up. His only daughter, the beloved daughter he wanted so much to protect, was sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't understand, not at all. If only he could tell her the truth. No, the truth would scare her, hurt her, drive her even closer to insanity. But, really, now that he thought about it, who was the insane one? Him or her?


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

Satoshi: Nuh uh! You promised me I could do it this time!

Me: Fine. Fine.

Satoshi: She doesn't own us, THANK GOD! Nor does she own D.N.Angel. WE'RE SAVED!

Me: You're fired from the disclaiming job, you baka.

Satoshi: Oh well. Any kissing in this chappie?

Me: ...

Satoshi: That means no.

Me: Yup.

Satoshi: There's kissing!

Me: No, I meant , yes, the "..." meant "no".

Satoshi: Damn

ETERNAL WINGS

Chapter 16

It had been weeks since Krad's last appearance. It almost seemed as if the homicidal blonde was gone for good, though there was no reason for his absence, but both Satoshi and Keri knew to not let their guard down. "He's just biding his time," Keri kept telling herself. Satoshi had told her that his other half was still his sadistic, psychotic self, but he had not said whether or not he had ever tried to take over or not. "Maybe," she kept telling the boy, "he's mad because I finally know the truth about the two of you being the same person." Satoshi would always shake his head doubtfully, the usual expressionless frown upon his face. He knew Krad all too well. He was planning something. Either that or trying to trick them into letting their guard down, but they wouldn't be doing that. Not for the slightest second.

Keri was now at her home, sitting at the kitchen tables watching the Hiwatari sleep. He had come over again, for the first time since when he had come over to apologize for missing school so long ago. Well, not so long ago, but it did seem that way, as time felt like it was passing so slowly. The boy had seemed so depressed since Krad last appeared. She would often ask him if it was because he had almost killed her that time. "And a part of me would have died with you," he always said.

He was sleeping soundly on the couch now, laying on his side with his legs slightly bent. He was still wearing his school uniform, as well as his glasses. She smiled to herself and stood up, walking over to the sleeping boy and removing his glasses. Setting them down on the end table, she pushed his legs over to create enough room for her to sit down.

She guessed she loved him, and she tried to remember why she even invited him over in the first place. She had told him it was important, but eating sakura (sushi) and playing tag in the house wasn't exactly… important. But then again, maybe it was. The boy had been so stressed out lately, and he was in need of some good leisure time. So was she, she supposed. Hiwatari had been the only one to have ever cared about her, and just that small fact had made a great impact on her life. The loneliness of having no parents no longer haunted her; Satoshi was her family now. The fact that she was cursed with the presence of her wings no longer bothered her; Satoshi was also cursed in a similar way. Despite his cold exterior, he was a sweet person, kindhearted and selfless.

His eyes then fluttered open, revealing the deep blue orbs that had always mesmerized her. He sat up slowly and yawned before giving her a light smile. "How long did I sleep?" he asked.

"Only half an hour," she said, her lips forming a smile similar to his.

He nodded and leaned back, resting against the cushion of the couch. "I hope you haven't been bored while I was sleeping," he said.

"No, no. I was fine watching you sleep." She smiled and poked him in the side.

He squirmed as she poked him, being quite ticklish, and gave her a 'not now' look. He didn't mind her tickling him, as she had been doing that a lot lately, but not when he had just woke up. In fact, he normally wouldn't mind at all. He kind of… liked her touching him. It didn't matter where either. For her to even brush against his shoulder made him feel so much better. He didn't know why, though. And her smile and every word she said, he could feel that, too. A sudden impact on his heart. Yes, he loved her, but he was almost sure that she didn't love him back. She was his friend, and they would never be anything more. That was how it was meant to be, wasn't it?

Of course, there was also Krad to worry about. If he and Keri started dating, he would only become worse. He didn't want that, not at all. But then, he also wondered, how Keri had come about her 'curse'.

"I've been wondering, Keri-san…" he said quietly. His light blue hair was sticking in several directions, but she decided that the bed-head look for him was pretty cute. It really was, though, because he wasn't wearing his glasses, and his eyes still looked rather sleepy. His posture was pretty bad, too, making him appear all the more weary.

"What have you been wondering, Hiwatari-kun?" she asked.

"Your wings, Keri-san; how do you have them?"

She pondered the question. She had never told him? No, she guessed she hadn't. How could she be so stupid? The moment she had found out about Krad, he explained the incident to the best of his ability, and here, she had told him nothing about her 'condition'. "I am sorry, Hiwatari-kun, that I have not told you before," she started, "but I guess the reason I never told you was because…" She sighed deeply as she started to remember it all now. Remembering what he had told her that night. That he was a Hikari. "Because it was one of your ancestors' artworks that possessed me."

She could see the heartbreak in his eyes, now that he knew about the cause of the presence of her wings. Now, he would just have another reason to blame himself for everything, but he did have the right to know. He was her best friend, after all.

"Keri-san…" he said quietly. "I am so sorry…"

"It's not your fault. Now, quit apologizing," she scolded, though there was a tone of concern in her voice. It sounded alien even to her. "The Phoenix of Light, Hiwatari. That's the one that possessed me. It wasn't your fault."

"No," he said, remembering the incident several years ago when the artwork had suddenly lost all it's power. It made sense now. "But my ancestors have done nothing but cause you trouble. I don't want to cause any more pain in your life."

Why had he allowed himself to become close to her. He knew he should have never let this happen. That day in the park, the day she came up and talked to him, he knew. He knew he would only makes things worse for her. He did, and she was already haunted by one of his family's artworks. The last thing she needed was Krad making things worse.

"Satoshi, no!" She stood up at the same time he did. He was a few inches taller than her, so she had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes. Tears were forming in them now, and she could feel them forming in hers, too. "What are you saying?" she asked quietly, almost choking on her own words.

"I'm saying I don't want to cause you any more pain. I've done enough." He turned his head away from her and tried walking past her, towards the door.

"You haven't done anything!" she yelled, pushing him back. She could feel the lump in her throat now, and it was almost unbearable.

"The curse you received from my family's damned artwork was more than enough," he said, the tears running down his cheeks now. "The last thing you need is another one of their creations bothering you, and I'm talking about Krad, about me. I don't want you to hurt anymore."

"Satoshi!" She was sobbing now as she pounded on his chest with her fists. She shook her head, burying her face into his shirt, her fists still clenched against him. He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her as she cried into his school shirt.

"It's worth it. All of it is," she said. "You're the only one who has ever cared about me."

"That's why I'm doing this, Keri-san. Because I care about you." He removed his arms from around her and pushed her gently to the side. He walked past her and to the end table. He picked up his glasses and put them on, straightened his hair out, and walked towards the front door. He opened it and looked back at her. She was still standing in front of the couch, staring into his tear-stricken eyes. She hugged herself as she stared at him, a cool breeze blowing into the living room. "I will always care about you… Keri-san. Remember that."

She nodded and dropped her head, just as she heard the front door shut. He was gone. He was leaving her here in this cold, dark house, and not just physically speaking. _Ai shiteru, Hiwatari-sama…_

Me: Please review, people! I know you're out there! I can smelllllll youuuuuu!

Satoshi: OKay, that was a little creepy.

Me: I'm a nutcase. What do you expect?

Satoshi: Oh, that's good. Scare your readers away.

Me: -flips him off- Anyway... PLEASE REVIEW!


	18. Chapter 17

Me: Krad, you want to do the disclaimer?

Krad: Uh huh!

Me: Go ahead then...

Krad: -ahem- My dear friend, xxKitsuneTenshixx aka Bitch does not own any of the D.N.Angel characters, nor does she own Keri.

Me: I don't, do I? Oops. Sorry I didn't mention that before, readers! -cries-

Krad: While the D.N.Angel characters usued in this story belong to Yukiru Sugisaki, the character, Keri Anida belongs to a friend of Bitch's. But, hey, she DOES own the plot.

Me: Yes, I do!

Krad: She had some help in the first chapters, but the plot was all hers.

Me: Arigatou, Krad-san. . Please read and review, people. I know you're out there. .. And I'm damn proud of being a bitch! -beams-

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ETERNAL WINGS

Chapter 17

She guess it was just part of her Angelic powers to know when someone she cared about was in distress. Taila was perched in a tree, almost like a bird even though she had no wings, but she had found the position comfortable somehow. Also, it was good for hiding, and it was where she had been living for a while now. Though, on occasions, she would spend the night with Keri. She had been living in this tree, the same one she woke up next to when she first arrived on Earth, and she would bathe at night in the creek nearby. But at the moment, she could sense that something was wrong with Keri, and she immediately began to wonder if that Krad guy, the one who had attacked her several weeks ago, had anything to do with it. She jumped from the branch of the tree, landing gracefully in the thick grass below. She darted out of the park and towards Keri's house. Some people began to stare at her, but that wasn't her concern at the moment.

She had to know what was wrong with Keri. The girl had become her best friend since she came here. She didn't know Satoshi that well. He acted so cold most of the time, and he was very quiet. She knew that Keri secretly loved the boy, though she herself couldn't understand how.

As she arrived at the home of her best friend, she ran up to the front door and pounded on it furiously. Moments passed and Keri came to the door in tears. Her eyes were swollen and red, and she was still sobbing uncontrollably from a reason that was still unknown to the fallen angel. Taila pushed Keri back inside gently and followed close behind her, closing the door behind her. She set her down on the couch and sat next to her. She wiped away some of the tears streaming down her face as well.

Something was wrong. Not just wrong, no, terribly wrong. Something that the girl had not expected, and it broke her heart. It broke Taila's heart as well, sitting there, watching her friend go hysterical. She pulled the girl into a warm hug and let her cry onto her shoulder.

"Tell me everything," she said calmly and quietly.

----------

Satoshi slammed the door behind him, his whole body shaking with rage and anxiety. He went into his room and collapsed on the bed, burying his face into a pillow and crying into it. He had not wanted to do that to Keri, not at all. If he could have his way, he would tell her how much he loved her and hope she felt the same. And if she didn't, they would still be best friends. Nothing like what had just happened. But he guessed it could have been worse. He could have kept talking to her, and Krad would have eventually killed her. And it's not like he was leaving her alone either. She did have Taila. He was the one that would be alone, and he knew that this was hurting him more that it was hurting her.

_Master Satoshi, why are you crying?_

The voice of his alter ego had no hint of concern in it at all. He was mocking him, he knew, and he refused to put up with him at the moment.

_Leave me alone, Krad._

_Why'd you leave her, Hikari-kun? You love her!_

He could now hear Krad's mocking laughter in the back of his mind as his anger grew, mixing with the uncontrolled sadness that was already overwhelming. He drew his knees up to his chest, continuing to sob into the pillow.

_Oh, no! How scary! Don't go bipolar on me!_

"SHUT UP!" he screamed out loud, throwing the pillow across the room, acting as if the pillow might hit Krad and silence him for good, but it hit a lamp on his desk instead, knocking it to the floor. He sat up now, his entire body still shaking just as he started to see white flashes of light in the corners of his eyes. Looking around the room, everything was starting to blur, and his body continued to shake furiously. An anxiety attack, he thought as he almost lost consciousness. He stayed awake, though his eyes were closed. He laid down on the bed again and continued to sob.

_Don't be mad at me, Hikari. I'm not the one who cursed her!_

"No, but you wanted this! You wanted her out of my life. Hell, what life? You didn't want me to have a life at all, did you? Why, Krad, why?"

_Quit your whining, brat. We have a job to do. We have to kill that damned Phantom Thief, Dark Mousy. You're the one being selfish! You know that we can't have any interferences._

"That's all that matters to you, isn't? Assassinating Dark! You have no heart, no feelings. You're a monster, and I hate you, Krad. I hate you!"

_Doesn't everyone?_

Satoshi noticed that his alter-ego's voice sounded quite sad. Never had Krad sounded sad. His voice had always been so demanding, rude, and bone-chilling. Never sad. He stopped crying and tried to listen to see if he had anything else to say. "Krad?" he asked quietly.

Silence. Satoshi hated the silence. It was creepier than all of the things Krad said put together. This silence anyway. He couldn't even hear himself breathing. At least his anxiety attack was over with. He sat up and looked around the room, almost as if he were looking for someone. He sighed sadly just as he heard his cell phone ring. It was laying on the floor, as it had fallen off when the lamp did. He picked it up and looked at who it was.

Keri.

He sighed again and answered the phone. "Keri-san, I just had a fight with Krad and---"

"You know Krad?"

The voice was cold and demanding. The person on the other line wasn't Keri, it was Taila.


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own D.N.Angel. I wish I did, but I don't. I am not Yukiru Sugisaki... And why do we even have to do a disclaimer? Isn't the whole point of fanfiction...? Ugh. Whatever.

Krad: Yeah, don't give yourself a headache.

Me: -growls- I would like to give a very special thanks to **Rairi**... for reviewing! Yes, so far, you have been the only one to review. I thank you for taking the time to review and leaving some nice comments that made me jump up and down and do a happy dance because this is my first fanfiction ever! O.o Yes, I was very happy for my review. I'm so proud of it. XD Readers, I know you're out there. Please review or I shall smite you with cheese.

Satoshi: ...

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Chapter 18

He couldn't even feel himself breathing. Taila wasn't supposed to found out anything. And how did she know Krad? He didn't say a word, only stood there, his eyes wide in both shock and horror. He was going to tell Keri about his fight with Krad, try and explain things to her better. Of course, she would try to talk him out of it, but he knew he wouldn't let her. He refused to let Krad hurt her again, and he knew that leaving her like he was, those wounds would heal. But if Krad killed her, she could not be healed.

"Well, are you going to answer me or what?" came her voice again. As she spoke, she was standing several feet away from Keri, who was still sitting on the couch sobbing uncontrollably. Why had Satoshi done this to her? She could sense how much he cared about her, so what had gotten into him lately? That was the reason she was calling him. One, to chew him out. Two, to get both sides of the story. But mostly to chew him out. She was going to really let him have it once she saw him again unless he had a perfect explanation that even she would believe.

"Hai, I know Krad," he said meekly. He sat back down on the bed, his body trembling again. The day was getting worse and worse as it progressed. And he had still not gotten over his anxiety attack. He made a mental note to not tell his father. The man would throw him in psychiatry and tell him he wasn't fit to be a police commander any longer. Not that he had a passion for the job, but he did hate his so-called father calling him worthless.

"You can't even catch Dark?" the man had always asked him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you do that one simple thing?" Satoshi had always looked away from him while the man continued to insult him. He had not told Keir about any of that. He had not told anybody. He had not even told Keri about how his father had beat him that one time. It was before he met Keri, though. The man was enraged that he had not caught the phantom thief and completely lost it, swinging his fist into the blunette's jaw. He then grabbed the closest weapon he could find, which was unfortunately a poker for the fireplace, and continuously beat Satoshi with it. Mostly on his back. He beat the boy unconscious, leaving him in a bloody heap in the living room floor. That was during the summer, and it was autumn now, but there were still scars indenting his back. But the pain he endured of transforming into Krad was far worse, as Krad purposely hurt Satoshi and found joy in doing so.

"Look, Keri-san told me all about how you stormed out of here, talking nonsense about protecting her by not being around her. She wouldn't tell me what you were talking about, but hear me, Hiwatari. You're lucky I'm not there now, because I would be beating you to a pulp. Do you have any idea how much this girl lo--"

"It's about Krad, Taila-san." His voice was quiet and fearful as he spoke, and he knew he had to tell Taila the truth. Either that or let her kill him next time they saw each other. Besides, Keri would end up telling her anyway, he was sure. They probably both hated him now, right?

Taila would have told the boy how much Keri loved him, as it was what she was trying to say when he interrupted her. Still, she was patient, and she was curious to know what connection he had with the psychotic blonde.

"Krad is me, Taila-san," he said. "Don't hate me just yet. Keri will explain things to you. The fact that we are the same person is not my concern at the moment." He tone was demanding, yet you could sense the expression of concern as he spoke.

"I don't understand." Satoshi was the one who had attacked her? Was that why he wasn't at school that day? Still, she could sense that he was ready to explain why he had been so heartless to Keri earlier, and that's what she wanted to know more than anything. "Go on."

"Taila-san. Please don't tell Keri-san this but…" For a moment, there was silence, the only sound being Satoshi's choppy breathing that Taila could only barely hear. She glanced at Keri for a moment, anxious to know what Satoshi was talking about.

"I won't say anything," she said.

"Taila-san… I love her." The words flowed out so smoothly, almost like someone singing a song. And what else could it be other than beautiful music to Taila's ears to know that he also loved Keri. But, alas, she had promised that she wouldn't say anything. And angels always kept to their word. "I don't want Krad to hurt her, and if I stay away from her and never talk to her, Krad will leave her alone. I don't care what happens to me, as long as I know she is safe."

"Hiwatari…"

She could now hear him crying softly, and she didn't know exactly what any of what he said meant, but she somehow understood. The need to protect. What lengths would she go to protect the people she loved? Anything. Anything it took to protect them. Apparently, the best way for the boy to protect Keri was to avoid all contact with her. She guessed not all stories had fairy-tale endings, but the fact that it was all Krad's fault to begin with made her want to teach the blonde a lesson.

"I'll take care of that bastard," she said, her temper on the edge of being lost. "I'll kick his psychotic ass, Hiwatari. You can count on that."

"Do it then."

The voice sounded oddly familiar. It was deeper than Satoshi's and it had a slight accent. It was… bone chilling the way the man on the other end was speaking. And as chills crawled down her spine, she finally realized who she was now talking to.

"Go ahead and try Taila-san. I don't think you have the guts."

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Yes, I know it's short, but I didn't know what else I could add. --" Next chapter will be longer. I promise! Twinkies and brownies to you all!


	20. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: You know...

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for waiting on this next chapter. It took me a while... 1) Because I've never written a fight scene before. 2) When I had most of it done, my comp froze and I went on a killing spree. Okay, so I didn't kill anyone, but I was extrememly pissed.

Thanks you, reviewers! **Your Wings Are Mine,** I'm very glad that you like my story. Thank you so much for your kind reviews. I am sorry for the confusion earlier. Yes, in the manga and anime, the character were in middle school, and they are in high school now. Please don't hate me for confusing youuu! Lol. **KateofTate, **I;m glad I wrote an anime fanfiction you finally liked! XD I very much appreciated your kind review, and I must say that as soon as I read it, I jumped up and down and did a happy dance. I even called up three of my friends and told them how loved I was by... someone. Lol. And please don't kill Krad. He's just... misunderstood.

Krad: catching things on fire

Um... yeah. I think we need to get him some psychiatric help, ne?

Please read and reiew, people. Flames are accepted, as long as you don't call me names... I hate name-calling.

/\\\\\\\\\\

Chapter 19

A short click indicated that the conversation was over. Taila dropped Keri's cell phone on the couch, the black haired girl staring at her with confusion in her dark, almost lifeless, eyes. Taila had not even looked at Keri. She only stood there, a dazed look in her lavender eyes, thinking of what she would do when she went to the Hiwatari's house and faced Krad. _This is for Keri. For Keri and Satoshi. I won't lose my friends again._

"Taila-san, what did he say?" Keri asked, her expression full of concern.

Taila then looked at her and gave her a cunning smile. "Mind telling me how Hiwatari and Krad are the same person?"

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Krad stormed through the house, his temper really getting a hold of him this time. He threw things, broke things… It didn't matter to him, though. He would just blame it on Satoshi, and Satoshi would be the one being beat to a pulp by his adoptive father again. His eyes were exceptionally yellow today, glowing vibrantly with cold and utter rage. How dare that girl even think she could kick his ass! He'd show her alright, and he would be sure that Satoshi was watching everything he did to her. Perhaps maybe, he would beat her up horribly, nearly killing her. He would let her live, of course, but he planned to rape her afterwards. Not that he wanted that kind of thing. He only wanted her to know that he was the superior one, and that he could do it if he wanted to. It wasn't like he had never done it before. He was a part of Dark, after all. The had there differences, though. While Dark was romantic and would rather slowly seduce a woman, Krad preferred raping her, just to feel powerful. Satoshi could clearly see the homicidal blonde's memories as he thought of it.

_Krad, no! Don't do it! Just leave her alone!_

_I'm afraid not, Master Satoshi. I am the superior one here, and I will not tolerate your pleas tonight. If Taila wants a fight, she'll sure get one. And I'll gladly give her what she wants, as well as what she deserves._

The blonde stared out the window of the living room. The sun was setting as the sky turned from navy to amethyst to pink. Orange streaks displayed across the colorful sky. He could clearly see Taila now, running down the street, her blonde hair billowing behind her. From what he could tell, she looked terribly pissed off. It made him smile, not a smile of happiness but one of cleverness. Only moments passed when he heard her beating furiously on the front door. The door opened into the living room, so Krad was only several feet away. He smirked and slowly opened the door as the girl charged in, searching for him. He was standing behind the door, hiding from her. He wanted to surprise her. She looked slightly intimidating, he had to admit, but there was no way he'd let her intimidate him.

"I know you're here, Angel," she said coldly. "Quit acting like a child, and come out to face me."

She had her back turned to him now. He smiled and spread his white wings, dashing towards her and wrapping his right wings around her. A low, menacing laugh escaped his lips as chills ran down her spine.

"Hello there, Mademoiselle," he said, his accent more apparent than usual.

She turned around; darkness consumed her lavender eyes. She swung her right fist towards his face, but he easily dodged it. Her stance, he mentally noted, was impressive. It was obvious that she had fought before, and he knew straight away he couldn't underestimate her. To his surprise, though, she swung a punch with her left fist milliseconds after her right. Somehow, it seemed she knew exactly which way his head would dodge the first fist, because the second one hit him dead in the nose. Bones cracked beneath her knuckles, and it sent the winged man stepping backwards several steps. Blood trickled down his face, and if looks could kill, the fallen angel would have died right then and there. His glare made her shudder, but she better than to let that stop her.

Her father had been a good fighter, teaching her several tricks. Her mother was a flexible woman, physically speaking. She taught Taila to do back flips, front flips, somersaults, cartwheels, and pretty much anything you can imagine. The skills were almost natural to Taila, considering her genes. Her father taught her to fight, as well as teaching her to use her other skills during fighting. One would think that an angel never had to learn how to fight, but the Heavens weren't always as safe as they seemed.

She charged towards him again, bringing her right foot up and into his chin, and she even did a back flip in the process. Her foot was extended in the air as the man tumbled backwards. She landed right on her feet just as Krad hit the floor. Blood ran down his chin now, and his glare was colder than before. He was up quicker than he was down, though, swinging his left wing into her side. His wings were incredibly strong, and he could hear ribs breaking as she was flung across the room from the blow. She screamed out in pain as she hit the wall, Krad smirking as usual as he ran to attack her again. She was coughing up blood now; her broken ribs had punctured her right lung. She had no time to prepare for his next attack. He had thrown his fist into the side of her face at the moment she finally noticed it was coming, sending her to the carpeted floor. She tried to get up but couldn't. The pain in her chest and side was almost unbearable. She looked up at him to see his wing flying towards her again. She gasped and, by reflex, threw her hand up to shield herself. Her arm extended, his wings made contact, and she could hear bones breaking once again. She didn't dare to look at the damage right away, but after a few moments, she looked and saw that the bone of her forearm had come out of place and was poking out. It had tore through the skin, and blood was pouring down the flesh. She gasped as pain clouded her eyes. He knelt beside her, an arrogant grin on his face.

"I thought you were going to kick my ass, Taila-san. Not vice versa," he said, his eyes piercing through hers. She looked away from him, a smile similar to his spreading across her face.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked. She knew he couldn't, as there was only one way to kill an angel: severing the head. Sure, angels were immortal, but no immortal being could live without a head.

"No, not yet. I wish to have a little fun before I do that." He picked her up, carrying her bridal style. Blood was still present on his face, but he was no longer bleeding. Magic, she thought, noticing that his wounds had already begun to heal. She had stopped bleeding as well. Her body had already started working on her wounds, and she would be completely healed by the next day, she knew. She wondered, though, what he planned to do with her. She was confused, to say at the least, and she clung onto him, almost afraid that he would let go of her and let her fall to the floor.

As they entered Satoshi's bedroom, she finally understood what kind of' fun' he was talking about. She was no longer crying, but panting, her breaths choppy and uncontrolled. She knew she couldn't get away from yet, not in this condition. Sure, her wounds were healing, but not enough that she could get away from him. He laid her down on the bed, pinning her wrists down as he settled himself on top of her. She gasped in pain as her weight was pressed down on her arm. He quickly picked it up and smiled, easily snapping the bone back into place with one hand. She screamed out in pain as her arm began to bleed again. Then, she stared at him, fury consuming her lavender eyes.

"Dearest Taila," he said, quietly and sarcastically. "You don't look so happy. I wonder why?"

She turned her head away from him, not believing what was happening to her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of her home, thought of her old friends, and she wished now more than ever that she was back home with them again. She didn't want this. Not at all. She only wanted to protect her friends, something she failed to do before. And here she was; she had failed again. She was still a virgin, and she didn't want to lose that to some homicidal, sadistic, over-possessive rapist.

It was then that Krad noticed the emotional pain in her eyes. He normally would have been amused by it, but something inside him, other than Satoshi, was telling him to stop what he was doing. His expression was emotionless as he looked at her, watching the tears stream down her face, the blood trickling down her arms and onto the covers, the blood still on her lips from when she was coughing up blood. For some reason, he didn't want to hurt her anymore. He sighed and got off of her, refusing to look at her any longer. Taila gasped and stared at him, confused more now than ever.

"Go home," he said. "I've had my fun."

His voice sounded sad, yet serious, and she willingly obeyed. It took her a while to stand up, but she managed and walked slowly out the door.

"But remember, Taila. I will have you whenever I want."

Not another word was exchanged between the two, only a short glance from Taila to Krad before she left the house. Her wounds were healing quicker now, and she worried about Satoshi. Keri had explained things to her before she left, and she knew that Satoshi had to watch Krad beat her up like that, and she wondered if the reason Krad hadn't raped her was because of him.

/\\\\\\\\\\

So sorry for the suckiness! As I said before. I've never written a fight scene until now. As for why he decided not to rape her... I shall reveal later. Mwah ha ha haaa!


	21. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I dont own D.N.Angel.. Blah blah blah...

Me: Welcome, future slaves--er... I mean, readers! -forced smile- I am truly sorry for the suckiness of the last chapter. It was my first fight scene to ever right... But The story is about to get good! I promise!

Krad: Hmph. What are you going to do, kill me?

Me: Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not saying.

Krad: Meanie.

Satoshi: Do Keri and I get back together?

Me: Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not saying. O.o

Satoshi: Bitch.

Me: You call me that like it's a bad thing... Well, anyways. Please review, readers! I know you're out there!

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Chapter 20

"Love. That's what we call that little feeling, that senseless emotion that we believe to be harmless. When we hear it, we think of it as perfect, but love, my friends, is anything but perfect."

That was her introduction, the first paragraph of her report. Keri and the rest of her class had been asked to write a report on a common emotion, and they were asked to describe it the best they could. Most people described depression, joy, or intimacy. Well, the people who wrote about intimacy described it as love, but there was a difference, she knew. She and Satoshi weren't in the same English class, so she felt completely okay with writing her report on this certain topic. She was standing in front of the class, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail, while she received odd glances from her classmates.

"There are many ways to describe love. Some might tell you it's like a razor that leaves your heart to bleed. Some might tell you it's like the universe, endless and only known to those who dare to know it. Infatuation and intimacy are mistaken for love at times, so I ask myself at times, 'How do I know when I'm in love?'

I don't guess there is a logical answer, because love isn't exactly logical. It's reality, yes, but at times it seems like a fantasy within a dream. Yet, we always know when we're in love. It's so sudden, but it's not exactly love at first sight. You don't have to be with them or even awake when you realize it. It just happens. It's like a car wreck. You're driving down the road, enjoying the ride, when you suddenly make impact with that other car. So sudden and unexpected. You think that you're invincible, but you're really helpless and vulnerable. Love is stronger than pride, stronger than hate, stronger than anything. It's an unbreakable bond between two people unless you let it slip away.

There are signs sometimes. That face that sticks out of the crowd. It's when fate decides to let you keep running into that person. It's that little voice in your head that tells you to do something you wouldn't normally do. Or maybe, it's that little thing we like to call coincidence.

But what are the rules of love? Actually, there is only one: follow your heart. If you do that, you'll be on the right path. Always. You must truly believe and have faith in yourself, and you must never let anything, anybody, any obstacle stop you. As I said before, love is an unbreakable bond… unless you let it.

Falling in love is like swimming in cold water. When you first stick your foot in, you pull away, but when you finally get in and get used to it, it's all yours. Remember, though, that if you dive too deep too fast, that the pressure will build up, and you won't be able to handle it. Love and pain are inseparable; it's more painful as you drown in it."

As she finished the last sentence, she could hear many people give quiet "aw"s. She could even hear Akane talking to one of her snobby friends. She had expected it to be something mean, but, to her surprise, the girl had said, "That was really sweet, ne?" Keri smiled to herself, her face hidden behind her paper. She then handed it to the teacher, who nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Anida-san. Who would like to go next?"

As Keri walked back to her seat with her head down, she could feel people staring at her, though she had a feeling it wasn't the cold stares she was so used to. As she thought of Satoshi again, she couldn't help but smile.

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She made a 100 on her report, and she was glad. Not just because of the good grade, but because she had been able to expose her feelings, something she had never done before in her life. She had always been so cold and distant, a lot like Satoshi, but it seemed as if loving him was making her a different person. She was a lot nicer now, she noticed, and her grades had even improved. But, she was still afraid to tell Satoshi how she felt.

"I made a good grade today," she said as she put her books away into her locker. Students were hurrying past her as she did so. "Everyone, even Akane, loved my report."

"No homework today," she said, glad that she didn't have to carry any books home. It was time to go home, and everyone was rushing out the front doors of the hallway. She was taking her time, though, not really wanting to go home and be al by herself yet.

"Silly people, they are," she said, referring to the students. "Don't you think so, Hiwatari-san?" She turned around to face him, a smile on her face, only to realize that he wasn't standing behind her. No one was. She had been talking to herself this whole time.

She dropped her head as her smile faded. She guessed she had gotten so used to him standing behind her, waiting on her so that they could walk home together. She wasn't used to the fact that they weren't talking anymore. She sighed and closed her locker, walking slowly towards the front door. She was really going to miss him.

"Keri-san!" she heard a female voice say. She turned around to see Taila running towards her. She gave her a sad smile and stopped to wait on her.

"You look depressed. What's up?" the lavender eyed girl said as she caught up.

Yes, she was already starting to get used to humans' strange greeting and such. She was also glad that her wounds from her battle with Krad had completely healed over night. A wonderful thing, magic was. At the moment, though, she was growing worried about Keri. She looked miserable, to say at the least. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, so Taila was able to see her face. She could see pain and misery in her dark colored eyes.

"Nothing," the girl said quietly, walking towards the door again. Ahead of her, she could see Satoshi walking alone. His hands were dug into his pockets, and he seemed to be staring at the floor as he walked. He was suffering, too; she could sense it. He glanced back at her once before exiting the building, a look in his eyes that was all too similar to Keri's.

"Oh," Taila said, watching the blunette leave. She knew he was in more pain than Keri knew. He had to watch Krad beat her up the day before, and she had not told Keri about that. Didn't plan to. She could tell that Keri was forcing back tears. It was apparent as she could see the girl biting her bottom lip that she was trying so hard not to cry.

Taila put her hands on Keri's shoulders and made her stop walking. She stood in front of her now, staring into her eyes that were soon to be claimed by tears. "It's okay to cry," she whispered, drawing the girl into a hug. She sobbed into her shoulder, wrapping her arms around the blonde. Taila, though, did not cry. Only decided that maybe she should talk to Satoshi… and hope that Krad didn't come out again.

"I loved him," Keri cried, "and I still do."

"I know you do," she said. "but this was his choice. He wanted to protect you from Krad. He would rather you live and move on than die. Because Heaven knows that he would have blamed himself for anything that bastard did to you."

Keri nodded, knowing that what she said was true. Satoshi surely knew what he was doing, and he knew everything that Krad had planned to do to her. It must have been hard for him to have to watch Krad do those things to her, so maybe it was the best thing for both of them. Though, she knew, Satoshi wasn't doing this for himself at all. He was so selfless, and it was one of the qualities she loved best about him.

"I won't leave you, Keri-san," she said, pulling away from the hug and looking her in the eyes again. "Things will turn out for the better."

"Yeah," Keri agreed, though not feeling much better about what had happened. But maybe, in time, scars could heal themselves. She would just have to move on. For Satoshi's sake, too.

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Me: Well, there you have it. And btw, if this fanfiction goes as I've planned it, (I am a woman and reserve the right to change my mind whenever the hell I want) it will be... I'm estimating 36 chapters long. O.o

Satoshi: Whoa...

Me: Some are longer. Hush. And besides, this IS my first fanfiction! XD Not only that, it's the first thing I wrote that was longer than2pages.

Krad: Yeah, you suck. Most of your writings are brief stories about your life... Very depressing.

Me: Yeah, well... So far, I don't have many reviews. Please review people! I'll love you if you do:D


	22. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it every friggin' chapter? Sheesh.

Greetings, readers. I am with utmost appreciation for my reviews, which were all kind. **moonlight91517, **I'm glad this story was what you were looking for. You see, it's my job to please my reader. -smiles proudly- As for Taila being a fallen angel, and why that's even in the story, it won't be revealed until the end. You won't be disapointed; I promise! **KateofTate,** you are officially my favorite reviewer! If it really made you cry, good. That's what I'm going for. XD I'm happy that you like the story. And do I really yank your emotions around? Awesome. Your words truly touch my heart, though, and I think I did as much crying as you did. :P Oh, and don't be sad when I'm finished. I will write other fanfictions...! Hopefully. **chocolateriku, **(hehe. cute penname.) I'm glad you like the story! Multi-leveled? Good. That's what I was going for, and I'm glad I'm actually doing things right... for once. But thank you, reviewers. Please continue to review! I've had a bad week, and my birthday is coming up on the 13th, so for my birthday, I want lots and lots of reviews! Especially from you other readers:)

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Chapter 21

Leaves were only just beginning to change colors. Only a few had fallen, but the air was still warm. It wasn't feeling quite like autumn yet, but the heat of summer was finally gone. The nights ahead would be cold, and Taila knew that she would have to find somewhere else to live. She couldn't live with Keri, no. The risk was too big. She was heading towards Satoshi's house now, and she knew that Krad would now be after her instead of the black-eyed girl. Sure, she had gotten a few cuts and bruises last time she had been to the Hiwatari's house, but she wanted – no, she needed – to talk to Satoshi. For both his and Keri's sake, anyway. To be honest, she didn't much care what Krad would do to her. She wasn't going to lose her friends again, and she wanted to go down for doing something right rather than being accused of something wrong.

She had walked Keri home and had gotten her to stop crying. They made chocolate chip cookies and talked about their day at school. Taila told Keri about how one of the boys put a grasshopper in the teacher's drink, but she didn't notice it until she took a sip and it landed on her top lip, scaring her half to death. That had made the girl laugh, and Taila was glad that she had already started to cheer up. She knew she would have to be doing this a lot, cheering her up. She would come home from school miserable everyday as long as she had to look at Satoshi and not be able to talk to him.

The boy's house was now in view, and her nerves were already acting up. She wasn't scared, only nervous. Who wouldn't be? Krad was no less than a nightmare, yet she had to admit he looked so... Angelic. Not just because of his silvery white wings, but he was beautiful. She had taken a liking to his golden eyes, even though they were filled with a sadistic, cold rage. She found herself wanting to see him again, yet not wanting to.

She knocked on the door softly at first, and when no one came to the door, she knocked harder. It was then that the blunette answered the door, and what she saw before her was anything but what she expected. The boy had clearly been beaten. By who, she had no idea. He had one black eye from what she could tell, and she could see blood trickling down his chin. She couldn't tell if it was from his nose or lip; both seemed to be bledding pretty badly. He was slumped over and looked like he was having trouble standing up, much less walking. He wasn't wearing his glasses, she noticed, and there were bluish green bruises on his arms. She was scared to know what he looked like underneath his clothing. Probably a whole lot worse.

"Come to scold me for what I did to Keri-san?" he asked. It was apparant by his quiet and strained voice that he was having trouble staying conscious.

Taila shook her head and walked inside, wrapping her arm around the boy's shoulders. He winced at her touch but eventually got used to it. She led him to his couch and sat him down, looking over his wounds.

"Actually, I came to check to see how you were doing," she said sternly, her natural mother instincts taking over as she looked over his bruises and occasional cuts. "And I see that it's a good thing I did."

Satoshi sighed and looked away from her. His father had come in angry to see the house in total chaos. Most of it was from when Krad had thrown his temper tantrum, and there was also damage from his fight with Taila. He noticed that her wounds were already healed, but he was in too much physical and emotional pain to worry about that now. Once his father had seen the wrecked house, he immediately grabbed Satoshi's light blue hair tightly and threw him down on the ground. He hit his lip on the end table as he was thrown down. The man then punched him several times in the chest, side, back, face, and other places. He was thrown around to different parts of the house as well, explaining the colored bruises on his arms and other places that Taila couldn't see for his clothing. His father had left as quick as he came, though, not wanting to even look at Satoshi's face again. At least not for a while.

"Don't worry about it," he said, compassion suddenly filling his eyes. "How is Keri-san? Is she alright?"

Taila stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. How could he just do that? Here he was, hardly able to walk because he had just been beaten horribly, and all he could think about was Keri's well-being.

"She's fine," she said quietly, looking down at her feet now. iShould I tell him? Should I let him know how much Keri loves him/i No, she decided. It would be best for Keri to tell him herself. "She's just having trouble accepting it. I told her... that you knew what you were doing. I completely understand where you are coming from, Hiwatari, but I think this emotional pain is hurting her worse than anything Krad would ever do to her physically."

"He wanted to kill her, Taila-san. I can't have that. I know she's in pain, but it will surely pass. I was her friend, hai, but she has you now. It's not like she's alone."

And Taila had come so close to telling him the truth at that moment. But that was Keri's choice and decision. Besides, it might have only caused more pain for both of them. "Satoshi-kun, I know how much you care for her... Why don't you let her make a decision, too? I'm not saying you're being selfish, but why doesn't her opinion matter to you?"

"Everything about her matters to me, and you know that as damn well as I do, but if Krad killed her, I would never forgive myself. Never. And maybe I am being selfish, but I think this is the best thing... for both of us."

Taila sighed and looked to the window. The sun was just beginning to set, and vibrant colors were streaking across the velvet sky. "Maybe I should talk to Krad."

"I don't even think so," he said sternly. "I'm not lett--" He bent over, grabbing his chest in pain. Soft grunts escaped his lips as he fell onto the floor. Taila immediately kneeled beside him, trying to get him to stand up.

"Hiwatari-kun! What's wrong?" she asked frantically.

"...Run," came his voice, weaker than ever. "Get away from here..." He looked up at her, his eyes now a golden yellow, staring coldy into her soul. It sent chills down her spine to look at him that way. She knew why he wanted her to run. Krad was coming out. Probably because he heard her say she wanted to talk to him.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said bravely yet quietly. The boy's light blue hair grew longer as it started to shine. She would have said it was glowing, but it was actually just the bright blonde of Krad's hair. The hair was pulled neatly back into a ponytail, except the one strand coming over his face and the mass of hair on top of his head. The man that was now Krad stood up, and Taila rose to her feet as well, staring coldly at the golden eyed monster that stood before her.

"You said you needed to speak to me?" came his accented voice, the usual cold tone absent. But his glare was all the same: cold, psychotic, and unforgiving.

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And once again, I thank you, readers, for you compliments on my writing. So far, no flames! XD But maybe I'm speaking too soon. Watch me get a flame this time, ne? Lol.


	23. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. You know, you know.

Well, I finally got another chapter. Sorry for the wait. Final exams are coming up, I've started drawing again, my boyfriend was robbed at gunpoint yesterday, I had my birthday, my stepdad and I have been fighting even more lately, and a whole bunch of other crap. And, yes, my boyfriend was ROBBED. By four men. Two of them had guns... He's okay, but I'm not. I've been going psycho and threatening to track them down and kick some serious ass with my barbarian sword. But... on the bright side. I did have a good birthday. My boyfriend and I have the same birthday, so we spent it togther. We've been dating for 4 1/2 months now, btw! And I thank you, readers, for leaving nice reviews as usual and wishing me a happy birthday. Twinkies and poundcake to you all! xoxo I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I hope that you are patient with me becuase final exams are next week and the week after that! x.x Wish me luck!

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Chapter 22

They stared at each other for the longest time, lavender eyes to gold. She wasn't afraid of him, but she was cautious. She had underestimated his power, the one she had sensed in Satoshi so long ago. But he was nothing, right? Nothing more than an artwork, a creation, a figment of someone's imagination that had miraculously come to life because of magic. Usually, though, magic could not create anything but trouble. She believed and knew that it took a more Heavenly being to create an actual life.

"Hai, if you plan to talk to me like a civilized being rather than what happened last time," she said as her eyes averted from him.

He smirked and shook his head. "You know, you said you were going to kick _my _ass. Not the other way around, ne?"

She looked back at him with a glare, her eyes reduced to tiny slits. "I merely underestimated you, but today I came to talk. Just tell me, Krad, why you are tormenting Satoshi's life."

Krad snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about," he teased. "Maybe you should specify what you're talking about.

"I'm talking about keeping him from having any friends, from living life like he wants to!" She was screaming now, taking a few steps forward so that she was practically in his face. "What gives you the right to control him and tell him what he can and cannot do? What gives you the right to do any of the shit you do, huh?"

Krad's eyebrows lowered as he stared furiously down at her. "Who said I had rights? No one's going to stop me, anyway. Especially some foul-hearted bitch like you."

"You're calling _me_ foul-hearted! Listen here, I may be a bitch - I'm damn proud of it - but you've got some nerve to say that I'm foul-hearted. What do you call yourself then?"

"A monster," he said matter-of-factly, somehow ignoring the fact that she was poking her index finger into his sternum when she spoke. Any other time, he probably would have lost his temper and beat the poor girl to a pulp. The word 'monster' seemed to sum up everything that he was, as that was all that he was. He was once a semi-descent person, he remembered, but over time, he only became worse.

His answer was a surprise to her, not that she was really expecting a certain answer. She looked at him, seeing some secret in his glowing eyes. But, she didn't let it get to her. He was probably just saying that to get her sympathy. "Damn right," she said, turning away from him. "You are a monster. You are greedy and selfish, frigid and heartless. You find pleasure in ruining people's lives, and I truly hate you, Krad. I don't hate easily either. But I hate you."

"Who doesn't?" His voice was quieter now, almost sad. She turned to look at him, only to find that he was staring in another direction. She couldn't get a good look at his eyes, but she could tell he was thinking of something.

He couldn't believe himself, though. He had never let his past bother him before. Why now? What was it about this girl that reminded him so much of himself? Why had he suddenly let her go home during their last meeting? He walked away from her, heading towards the stairs. He needed some time alone, which was something else that was very unlike him.

"Wait…" she said quietly as she followed him. He went into Satoshi's room. It wasn't decorated at all. White walls and plain furniture: a desk, a bed, and clothes drawers. There was a walk-in closet and a laptop on the foot of the bed. It was still on, as she could see, but the rest of the room was spotless.

After Satoshi's father had beat him earlier, he had cleaned the whole house. Or at least most of it. He strived to please his father so, yet nothing he did was ever good enough.

Krad had not heard the girl walking behind him, so he was mildly surprised when he turned around and saw her standing there. Her anger had died down, which wasn't at all normal for her. Usually, when she lost her temper, she didn't cool down for days. But… something inside her was telling her to calm down, to breathe, to act kindly towards the homicidal nutcase standing before her. Though, her sense of humor was still normal. She made a mental note that white look really good on him, as it reminded her of a straight jacket.

"What is it you want now?" he demanded quietly, closing Satoshi's laptop and placing it on the desk.

She looked around stupidly, pondering how she could answer that question. Why _had _she followed him? Surely not sympathy; she had never showed that before towards anyone. "I don't know," she answered truthfully as she stared down at her feet.

"Then leave. We've talked, and that's what you wanted. You got your opinion out. What else do you want?"

She smirked and stared up at him. "Oh, just wanting to know, I guess, why you seem so… depressed. I mean, come on. Depression is very unlike you, ne? What the hell happened to the murderous, psychotic you?"

He growled and glared coldly at her. "I'm not depressed, bitch," he defended. "Just annoyed."

"Annoyed at what?" she asked, walking towards him, her eyes narrowed and staring straight into his.

"What do you care? You hate me, remember?"

"I suppose." She turned and walked out of the room, feeling a strange emptiness inside her, and it wasn't the hole in her heart where her true home, family, and old friends belonged.

"Good day, Krad-kun," she said sarcastically. "You should come visit me sometime. We can have tea and talk about the day."

He smirked at her sarcasm, not much minding it as he watched her leave. When he heard the front door slam, indicating that she was gone, he sat down on Satoshi's bed, just as he transformed back into the blunette.

Satoshi collapsed on the floor, both mentally and physically weak. Transforming was terribly painful, and it was added on with his new bruises and scars. Tears trickled down his already moist cheeks as he tried to pick himself up. He couldn't; he was too weak. He lay there on the white carpeted floor, his eyes dazed and only halfway open. His light blue hair was in a tangled mess, red streaks from his own blood now dry and mixed with cold sweat. He felt suddenly sick to his stomach; he needed to puke. But he was unable to move, though, and he could feel water pouring out of his mouth which could hardly stay closed because of his swollen lip.

"…why?" came his weak and tired voice, soft cries escaping his lips. "Krad…"

_Why what?_

_Why do you pleasure yourself in tormenting me so?_

_It's always my fault, isn't it? You never once tried to understand me. You hated me before you even knew me, and you made me be this hard on you, Master Satoshi._

_But why couldn't you just leave Keri out of it?_

_Because we have more important things to do. We have to kill Dark Mousy, and you know that as well as I do. I thought you were as passionate as I was about his assassination._

_Don't you understand? **There is more to life than just destiny**._

_I wish I could understand, Master Satoshi, but what I have is not exactly what you would call a 'life'. It's more of just a mere existence. How do you expect me to understand?_

Though, the last thing Krad said was not even heard by the boy. He had lost consciousness on the floor, his body still slightly shaking from stress, fear, pain, and God knows what else. The boy was truly miserable, he knew, and for the first time in his 'existence', he was starting to have regrets.

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Want to know why what Satoshi said was in bold? REMEMBER IT! There is more to life than just destiny! Please R&R, or I shall haunt you in your dreams, dressed up like a teletubby and screaming at you, saying "NYA NYA! TUBBY CUSTARD!" XD


	24. Chapter 23

Wootness! Another chapter! And do I have to do the freaking disclaimer? I think you already know... Anyways! Thank you, reviewers! I love reviews very very much. Almost as much as I love chocolate. XD So, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, too!

Good news, too! There might be more than 36 chapters! Yayz!

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Chapter 23

She needed daggers. Or at least some kind of weapon. Taila could use her magic, but it weakened her somewhat, and it made her tired. Besides, she knew how to use daggers pretty well, and she knew she would probably need them in the future. It's not like she could always use magic to protect herself. Anything abnormal made headlines in the news, and she didn't want any popularity or attention.

And there was Krad.

She hated him. Hated him with a passion. But sometimes, she wasn't sure. Perhaps he was just misunderstood? But that still didn't give him any reason to do all of those things. She guessed she felt sorry for him because of his reaction when she said that she hated him, and the way he called himself a monster… almost as if he had been called that before. But who wouldn't call him a monster? He was that and much worse! But… she wanted to understand him. Perhaps if she understood him better, she could communicate with him better and convince him somehow to stop terrorizing Keri and herself and to stop controlling Satoshi's life like some kind of infection. She needed to be more sympathizing and understanding. "Treat me well; I am as I am treated," her father had always said. "Love me, so I may learn to love others. If you are good to me, I will become a good person. Respect my dreams, so that I may learn reality. Trust me, so I may learn to be trustworthy. Respect me, and I will treat others with respect. I am as I am treated." So, was the reason that Krad was so horrible was because he had been so badly treated in the past?

It was almost midnight now, and all of the stores were closed. She looked into the window of one of the shops, a large window that you could see inside the whole building. She smiled as she spotted a couple of daggers hung up for show. She chanted a few words, performing her magic. She looked down at her hands and saw that she was holding two daggers. She had used her powers to duplicate the items and make the clones appear in her hands. She had always enjoyed that trick. She smiled to herself and hid the daggers in her jacket, the half moon reflecting in her lavender eyes. Her eyes were like cats' eyes, gleaming in the moonlight, looking for prey. If Krad even dared to attack her again, she would use the daggers on him. She needed practice first, though.

She walked into the empty park and started stabbing the trees, pretending that it was Krad standing there. She imagined that he was using his wings to attack her as he did before, so she ducked several times and attacked the tree again. She felt quite stupid at first, but what else could she do to practice?

She grew tired after about an hour, and she knew she needed to rest. There was no school the next day, but she wanted to get up somewhat early and check up on Keri. She had a strange feeling that she was in trouble. Her intuition, though, told her to let Keri settle the situation out herself, whatever it was. Taila trusted it and climbed into a tree. She laid across one of the branches and closed her eyes, almost immediately falling asleep.

She dreamt of chaos, of her home, of all of the angels mocking her as her wings were cut off and tossed carelessly to the side. She was crying, and she felt so alone. She wanted to fly again. Then, suddenly, she felt wind on her face. She couldn't feel her feet touching the ground, and she knew she was flying. She savored to moment for a while, when she noticed a warmth around her waist. She looked down to see arms wrapped around her torso. As she looked up, Krad was there, his arms around her as he carried her, and they flew towards the horizon, leaving the rest of the world behind.

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It was just too simple, and there were over a hundred ways to do it successfully. Humans were not endless, and that was the reality. Life was so easily taken away, and Keri knew that. She had thought it through thoroughly, and she knew that it would be the best thing to do. If she did, she would no longer have to suffer. The whole procedure was almost too simple and easy to even be true.

Suicide.

Sure, she had thought about it before. Back when her parents died. She was thirteen at the time, and she had come home to an empty house. She has assumed that her parents had gone somewhere and would be back soon. They were usually there when she came home from school, so it was a bit awkward. Hours passed, and she passed out on the couch while watching T.V. She awoke the next morning, and her parents still weren't there. Having no family, friends, or anyone who cared about her, she didn't find out about how they had both tragically died in a car accident while she was at school until she read about it in the newspaper. You would have thought that someone would have come and told her, but no one did. She never knew about it. She stayed home from school for a week, and no one was even worried about her. No one came to her house to see how she was doing or anything. She didn't tell anyone but Satoshi and Taila that her parents were dead. She didn't want to end up in an orphanage somewhere. She was fine by herself… or so she thought.

She needed Satoshi in her life. He was the only one that had filled that filled the cracks of her broken heart, making her whole again. In fact, when she was with him, she had never felt so complete in her entire life. Nothing and no one could help her now. No one but Satoshi, and he wasn't coming back. She wanted to die now, because she knew that she could never truly live without Satoshi anyway.

Tears streamed down her face, her mascara smearing under her eyes and somewhat on her cheeks. Dark eye makeup made her black, already lifeless eyes stand out against her pale skin. Her black hair was soaked with sweat and tears as she ran into the kitchen. She dug through the drawers, looking for the sharpest knife. As she found it, she began to sob louder than before. She put the knife to her wrist, ready to slit it downwards over the main artery. Though, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it right away. _Think about it. Do you really want to do it?_

"_That's why I'm doing this, Keri-san. Because I care about you."_

"_I don't want you to hurt anymore."_

"If you didn't want to hurt me, then why are you doing this to me!" she sobbed aloud, staring blankly at the knife that she was still holding to her wrist. "Why did I have to fall in love with you? Why do you have to make it so damn hard? Satoshi…"

_Love and pain are inseparable; it's more painful as you drown in it._

But what about misery? Was love supposed to bring misery as well? Surely she wasn't meant to live. Besides, she was going to die sooner or later anyway, so why not sooner than later?

But what would Satoshi think? What would he say when he found out that she had killed herself? What would he do? He would be devastated, she knew, and she realized how selfish she was being. Why had it taken her so long to think of how Satoshi would feel about all of this?

She threw the knife to the floor, the metallic sound of it hitting the ceramic tile echoing through the kitchen. She buried her face into the palms of her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She dropped to her knees then, wiping away her tears as the dark makeup ran down her face. It looked almost as is her tears were black the way it streamed down her pale cheeks.

She wanted somebody to hold her now, to tell her that she was loved and that everything was going to be okay. She wanted Satoshi, and she wanted him to come back to her and promise that he would never leave her like that again. But she was afraid that would only happen in her fantasies and her dreams, because reality was cruel and especially to her.

"_Possibilities are endless, Keri-san, and you must learn to accept them all."_

"You're right," she said aloud. "You were always right, Hiwatari-kun, and I'm sorry for everything." She knew he could not hear her, but it seemed to calm her down. Just pretending that he was there ceased some of the pain that had been tormenting her so. "I love you, and I'm going to live life because that's what you want me to do." She smiled and stared up at the ceiling, tears flowing down her temples. "My beautiful tenshi."

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Please R&R. If you do, I'll love you forever. XD


	25. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE FREAKING ANIME/MANGA! NOR DO I OWN THE CHARS!

Ahem. Anyways... I got another chapter done! Woohoo! And I've just thought of something to add near the end, so there might be more than 36 chapters... Either that, or I will just make the chapters longer. Either way, ti still works, right:) Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you leave a review, by the way, I'll love you forever!

**Cherrybell**, I'm very glad you're liking the story! And I'm glad I rock your world. Yeah, I feel cooler than sliced bread! I mean, sliced bread is fucking AWESOME! Yes, I plan to write more DNAngel stuff. I'm already planning a bunch of random humor, but I just might consider writing another serious story like this one. Maybe... I don't depends on how much I am appreciated. Seems that not very many people appreciate me, so I feel kind of worthless... -sad- Okay, that was pathetic. But, maybe some of you will say "Aw, I better appreciate, Kitsune-sama and leave a few reviews." ...Maybe it'll work, ne? XD

Well, enjoy the chappie!

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Chapter 24

It had been several days since the last time she had seen either Krad or Satoshi. She was beginning to grow worried. Her shoulder length, blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her attire all black. Her daggers were well hidden underneath her clothing, but they were placed in such a way that she could easily get to them when she needed them.

The night was cold and dark. It was a new moon tonight, so the stars and dim street lights were the only light in the empty streets of Azumano. She had been sleeping in places other than the park lately, wondering around and spending the night in alleys, but she used her magic to keep herself clean and well-kept. A wonderful thing magic could be.

A sudden feeling of dread crashed down on her, and she started to feel as if she was in danger. She looked around the area - she was in an empty alley next to the Esviel Museum - but she saw no one. But she heard them. There were many footsteps, and they were coming her way. They seemed to be surrounding her, and one of them attacked her from behind, hitting her with what she assumed to be a baseball bat and knocking her down on her front side. It hit her middle back, cracking one of the bones. She scanned her surroundings and noticed five men surrounding her. She growled and tried to get up, only to be knocked down again, this time by a foot.

"You're not going anywhere," came a masculine voice. The man knelt down and held her on the ground as he tied her hands behind her back with a piece of cloth. "Scream, and I'll kill you right away."

Taila refused to scream anyway. She wanted to take care of them herself. "What the hell do you want with me?" she demanded, glaring at him with hatred burning in her eyes.

The man did not answer her, only turned her over on her back and stared down at her. The other four gathered around her, all wearing devilish grins on their faces and baggy, black clothing. One of them looked about sixteen. He had dark brown hair and green eyes, and he was standing rather close to the one with the baseball bat, who she assumed to be the leader. He also had dark brown hair and green eyes. Perhaps they were brothers. Another one had black hair and dark blue eyes. He looked about mid-twenties, standing six and a half feet tall. He was pretty muscular, too. The next one had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He was standing more off in the background, behind the others. He looked about 18 or 19, and she noticed that he had many rings on his fingers. The last one had dark blue hair and black eyes. He looked about 20 or so, standing about six feet tall. He kept his arms crossed for the most part, and she noticed that he had been staring at her the whole time.

"Answer me," she said, her eyes and the leader's locking into death glares.

He laughed and broke the glare, diverting his eyes to one of his pals. "You first, Aki-chan," he told the youngest one. He nodded and walked up to Taila. He stared down at her while his older brother held her legs, keeping her from kicking him. Aki smiled and straddled Taila, beginning to unzip her pants.

"Oh, hell no!" she screamed, her legs struggling against the leader's.

The one with dark blue hair quickly kneeled beside her, pulling out a knife and holding it to her throat. Taila then became nervous. She knew that the only way she could die was if they cut off her head, judging from where he placed the knife, it looked like she was doomed. To her, anyway.

"You gonna cooperate now?" he growled, his black eyes showing hatred and lust.

Taila nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel the young lad reaching into her pants now, and for the first time in her life, she was truly afraid.

"Leave her alone," came an accented voice. It sounded all so familiar, but she couldn't tell who it was until she opened her eyes and saw for herself.

Krad.

He was wearing white pants but no shirt, revealing his rather muscular chest. His white wings were folded neatly behind him, and his fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles were white. His golden eyes were glowing with hatred while his blonde hair, pulled back as always, hung gently over his right shoulder, his bangs parted and showing his eyes.

The one named Aki stood up quickly and turned around to face the homicidal angel. All five of them pulled out weapons: knives and swords. The one tossed the bat aside, deciding that a sword would be more effective. Krad smirked and darted towards the leader, his fist making impact with his throat., crushing his trachea instantly. The man fell to the ground, unable to breathe. Krad then grabbed the youngest one by the throat, slamming him against the wall. His grip tightened around the boys neck while the other three tried to attack him from behind. He used his wings as a shield, knocking them backwards but not enough to really hurt them. When the boy was dead, Krad darted around, one of his wings really hitting the blonde one and sending him flying. He hit his head on a dumpster, the impact breaking his neck and killing him almost instantly. The one with dark blue hair held up the dagger, ready to attack Krad, but he grabbed the arm that was holding the weapon with both hands and snapped it in two. The man gasped as the sound of his own bones breaking shattered his ears. Krad took the dagger from him and slit the man's throat. He then looked dangerously at the last one. The leader was now dead, and Taila had managed to break free of the cloth that had bound her wrists together and was now putting her pants back on, the fact that it was Krad saving her not fully sinking in yet. The man looked horrifically at the blonde before turning around and running away. He didn't make it far, though. Krad smiled and threw the dagger at him. It made impact in his back, assumingly piercing his lung. He laid down on the ground and coughed up blood, the dagger still sticking out of his back. Krad then turned towards Taila, his expression now soft as he looked at her. She stood up and stared blankly at him, not believing that any of that had just happened.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Taila nodded and started walking out of the alley. The park wasn't that far away. She wanted to sleep there tonight. Or maybe this was all just a dream anyway. Krad followed her. She could hear him walking behind her, and it wasn't long before he was walking next to her, his gaze set straight ahead of them.

Not a word was exchanged between the two until they arrived at the park. It was then that Taila broke the silence.

"Umm… I guess a thanks is in order," she said, looking at him calmly. She tried to ignore the fact, though, that he was standing before her only half dressed.

"No need. Those guys… they, um… pissed me off the other day," he lied. "I was looking for them, and I was going to kill them anyway. No one pisses me off and gets away with it."

"I got away with it," she said with a smile. "But you're really a horrible liar. Now, why'd you rescue me?"

Krad growled and shrugged, diverting his eyes away from her. "I already told you. Quit being complicated," he said in a low voice.

"Fine," she said, still smiling. "But thanks for caring about me, anyway." She turned around and started walking away, though she walked rather slowly.

"Look, girl," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her around to face him. He squeezed her arm tightly, and his expression was full of hatred, but his eyes showed kindness, which was so alien for him. "The only reason I saved you was because you belong to me. I'm not going to let some idiot gangsters go off and take what's mine!"

Taila's smiled faded, her eyes now showing uncontrolled hate. "Oh yeah. Wouldn't want some group of rapists going off and using your bitch for their own pleasure, huh? Is that it?"

"That's… exactly right." His eyes showed regret now, and it didn't take an empath to feel that regret. It was apparent in his facial expression as well.

"You bastard!" she screamed, pulling out her daggers, holding one in each hand. Krad cursed under his breath and stepped back, but Taila managed to stab his wings, pinning him into a tree. One dagger in each wing, holding him against the bark. Krad winced from the pain. He would not be able to fly home tonight, but it would heal within the next day. Though, he would have to use magic, therefore draining even more of Satoshi's energy. Not that he much cared.

Taila smirked and glared at him. "Not so big now, are we?" she commented. "Back there in the alley, you were kicking ass. I guess I'm your weakness, ne?"

Krad said nothing, only stared at her with a mix of both hatred and grief in his golden eyes.

"You're pathetic. A lame excuse for an angel." She laughed menacingly, feeling quite superior to him. "Maybe I should just kill you, do the world a favor."

"Okay," he said flatly, not really caring what she did. "So, you'll kill Satoshi, too. Is that what you want?"

"No…" she sighed, having completely forgotten about Satoshi.

"And have to take care of Keri once she finds out that Satoshi is dead? Her former best friend?"

"No."

"And maybe next time you can't protect yourself when a group of gangster rapists come, I can't be there to save you."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, removing one of the daggers and putting it to his throat. His expression never changed; he only stared into her eyes, gold to lavender. "Say another word, and I swear to Heaven I'll kill you, Krad." He closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around the back of her neck. "What the hell are you--"

She was broke off as he pulled her face to his and kissed her on the lips. Her eyes were wide with shock. This had to be a dream. She would have pulled away and stabbed him or something of that nature, but she found her self removing the second dagger from his wing - she felt him cringe as she did so - and she dropped both of the weapons onto the ground. She closed her eyes and forced her tongue into his mouth, hot air escaping his lips like a sigh and emptying into her own mouth. His teeth slid over her tongue, and she never imagined that someone could stir up so many emotions inside her with just their mouth alone. She still felt the hatred, yet she found herself caring for him. Why, though? Why was she caring about him? He was evil, homicidal, sadistic, and insane! She found herself wanting more of him, though. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands running over his bare back, and pulled his body closer to hers, her tongue moving rapidly inside his mouth. He gasped and pulled away from her, his hands shaking from what she didn't know. In truth, he didn't' know either. He felt confused. He then looked away from her and stepped back.

"I must be going," he said quietly. Remembering that he could not fly, he turned around and started walking towards the Hiwatari home.

Taila was confused as well. She wanted to run after him, but she decided not to. She only stared at him while she watched him leave.

"Wait, Krad-san," she said. He turned his head to face her, sadness in his golden eyes. "Thanks again." He nodded and began to walk again, and he didn't look back. Taila smiled as she watched him leave, though she found herself worrying about him somewhat. What would she tell Keri? Nothing. She wouldn't tell anyone anything. Satoshi would know, of course, but he wasn't talking to Keri anymore, so she wasn't all that worried. Though, this was the part where confusion set in. What was all of this? Love or hate? Both seemed lost in this cold world they hated so much. Perhaps, though, even though they had not realized it yet, they could end up being each others' worlds with no pain or sadness. Unlike the world they were living in today.

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Now, where the hell did all of my reviewers go? -cries- You're breaking my heart, guys! Please R&R!


	26. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: you know...

Well, well. I think it took me long enough! CHAPTER 25! Huzzah! Go me! Well, anyways. I'm sorry it took so long. I was having serious writer's block. . That, and I have another plot in mind for my next fanfiction, which I will be starting as soon as I finish this one. (Angel Sanctuary) So, I'll be working uber hard on this one so I can finish it and start on the next one! YAAAAY! XD So, please R&R. I'll love you if you do...

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Chapter 25

"DARK GETS AWAY AGAIN"

That's what the front page of every newspaper read in Azumano. There was also a picture of Dark, though he looked quite small from such a long distance. He was flying off, the artwork in his hand. Satoshi knew that he would be scolded, or beaten, by his father that night. Not to mention what he planned to say to Krad as soon as he got home.

He was walking home from school now. He had not the time to scold Krad for the scenario that had taken place the night before, so he would get to him as soon as "they" got home.

Keri had seemed happy that day. She was talking so happily with Taila, and even Akane and her friends has started being nice to her. Of course, Keri had told them to go away, since they had been such jerks before. He had thought that was funny, especially when Taila glared at Akane and threatened to break her nose again. He was glad for her. She seemed to be getting over him. _Of course she's getting over it. She didn't love me. Not like I love her anyway._

Yes, he loved her. It was the reason he had left her in the first place. He couldn't stand seeing her in any more pain. All of the misery in her life all led back to him in some way or another. Keri was still unaware about the fact that it was his adoptive father that had wrecked into her parents that day and killed them both. The man was a careless driver, especially when he was angry. And Satoshi was usually the cause of his father's anger. It drove him crazy, though. How could he love her so much then, at the same time, cause her so much pain? At least, this way, she could get over this instead of having to endure and deal with it.

As he opened the front door, he made it clear to Krad with his emotions that he was mad. He threw his books down on the couch and stomped up the stairs, his clenched fists shaking with rage and fury. He slammed the bedroom door behind him, though it was quite pointless, and he looked into the mirror, seeing Krad's reflection staring back at him. The blonde was wearing a smirk on his face, glowing with a golden light, looking very Angelic. His arms were crossed while his long hair fell elegantly around his shoulders, having not being pulled back today. His eyes were narrowed, his head tilted front wards only slightly, and his pupils were small, looking more like mere dots in the center of the golden orbs.

"What is it, Master Satoshi?" he asked with a low and rasping voice

"Don't act like you haven't the idea of what I'm talking about, Krad!" the blunette screamed at his alter-ego. "I'm talking about your episode with Taila-san last night! You're damn lucky I didn't have the strength to take back over."

"Oh, I see. Did you want me to let those guys have their way with her then?"

"Well, no, of course not, but the point is that she has done nothing wrong, and you… You're still terrorizing her. I have no friends now, thanks to you, but you still continue to bother her."

"I saved her, Master Satoshi. You have no reason to scold me for that. If I had not been there, they would have all taken turns raping her and maybe killed her afterwards." The blonde spoke calmly to the boy as if everything that had happened was almost nothing at all.

"But why were you there, Krad? That's the point."

"There doesn't need to be a point to everything, you know. I mean, how would you like it if I gave you the point of a sword? You'd rather me not, ne?"

"Quit being a smart ass, you _monster!_"

Satoshi had tears in his eyes now. He knew exactly why Krad was there that night. "I'm going to get her back for her sarcasm," he had told the boy. "And I'm going to kill her this time." But the fact that it botherd Krad so terribly to see Taila in the position kept him thinking. He had never tried to understand the DNAngel, so perhaps that was the reason that he could still not understand him now. Why had he said he was going to kill Taila and then end up rescuing her instead? Satoshi remembered that night. He remembered all of Krad's emotions. Hate, fear, anger, and grief. The hate and anger were all too familiar, but the fear and grief was so abnormal for the homicidal blonde. Fear that something horrible would happen to Taila. Grief that she had to experience even that much. But then again, he guessed Krad felt a bit of relief as he arrived. He could tell he was happy that they had arrived at that moment rather than later… or never.

"You don't have to call me a monster, Master Satoshi. I already know I am," he growled.

Satoshi looked out the window as he heard a car door slam, the sound seeming to come from his own driveway. He looked back at Krad, and the blonde smiled at him, as they both knew exactly what that meant.

Hiwatari was home.

And, boy, would he be mad today. Dark getting away again, and the newspapers had been mocking Hiwatari and the rest of the police force. Satoshi could hear his adoptive father opening the front door and slamming it behind him, then he could hear him stomping up the stairs, nearing ever so closer to his room. He could hear Krad's laughter in the back of his mind as his own reflection returned to the mirror. He backed away from the bedroom door, his back against the wall, as the man entered the room with a metal candle stick holder in his hand. Satoshi was terrified as he stood there, his knees shaking and his eyes full of plea. He dropped to the floor, somewhat crouching against the wall.

"I… I am so sorry, father," the boy cried. "I'm just out of it lately. It'll pass, and I will capture him soon."

Hiwatari only stared at the blunette, his lifeless black eyes hidden by the glare in his glasses. His dark hair fell around his face, dripping with sweat. He looked really psychotic from this view, holding a weapon which he would beat him with and staring at him that way.

"Because Krad… H-he's been taking over a lot lately and--"

"Don't blame Krad!" the man yelled at him, his eyes burning with rage. He beat the holder in the palm of his hands, glaring at the boy. He walked towards him and picked him up by his shirt collar, holding him up so that they were eye to eye. "And I'm not going to tolerate any of your excuses."

"Father, I--" The boy was cut off as he was hit across the face with the metal. He could feel blood trickling down his cheeks now as he looked pleadingly into the man's eyes. He was then thrown down onto the floor. He hit his face on the chair that stood at his desk. As he wiped the blood from his face, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He had been struck again. A cry escaped his lips this time as tears flowed down and mixed with the blood.

"You think nothing of me, do you, Satoshi?" the man screamed at him. "You don't care anything about embarrassing me. All you care about is yourself. Haven't you realized your destiny yet, you stupid boy?"

_No, there is more to life than that… Father…_

He hit him again and again, harder each time. And each time he hit him, Satoshi cried a little bit more. He was starting to lose consciousness now. Only Krad's magic was keeping him awake, keeping him alive. He knew that. He knew that if it weren't for the magic, he would have died long before now. Not that Krad had a choice. He had to heal Satoshi in order to survive himself.

"You're an embarrassment to both me and the Hikari family. How dare you shame your ancestors this way! You are worthless, and you will never be anything more than a puppet. Why can't you even do THAT job right?"

_I'll never be good enough. Not for anyone… except for Keri-san…_


	27. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: ...You should know by now...

Hello, everyone! WOW! Another chapter! And there's still much more story to be told! Now, I must thank my reviewers. **KateofTate, **I MISSED YOUUUU! -glomp- I was wondering where you were? I was all like, "Omg. Where's Kate-sama?" But, hey, I understand. I wouldn't understand hard schoolwork, though. I live in Alabama. Poor education system, yes. XD But anyways! Thanks you soooo much! Your comment is taken into MOST appreciation, and I'm glad you're liking the story! YEAAAAH! **Brittany, **(Not xxKitsuneTenshi. Brittany came over to my house, and I had the thing where I was logged in for 3 days, so when she posted her comment, it showed up as me. XD) Thank you so much! As for you all who don't know Brittany, she is my cheif editor, and before I post up a new chapter, she has to approve of it, so I was very glad to see her comment the other day. Lol. I love you, Bri, even if you are an oyster! XD

So anyways... I'm going to finish this as fast as I can, and don't worry. It will be great! As you can tell, things are turning for a happier pace, but there is still more drama and tragedy coming--- I've said too much. I'm not saying anymore! Tee hee! Please R&R! Even if its short and all you say is, "Great job," I'll still love it! PLEASE REVIEW, PEOPLE!

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Chapter 26 - Where it Hurts

"I need to talk to Taila-san," Krad said aloud. He was wearing black pants and a white button-up shirt, which he wore opened. His hair was in the usual ponytail, a golden cross handing at the end. He even wore a small cross necklace around his neck. The night was still young, the sun having set only an hour ago. He was in Satoshi's room now, sitting on his bed and conversing with his tamer before he left.

_Don't hurt her._

The boy's demand was weak, as he had just been beaten by his father only hours ago. Krad had healed him somewhat, but he was still weak. Krad was able to easily take over now, and Satoshi could not fight him. Hiwatari had left again and had not told either him or Satoshi where he was going. He tended to do that often, coming home only for a little while, to beat Satoshi and then leave again.

"I won't," the blonde replied as he began wrapping the chain of his necklace around his finger. "I just want to talk to her. See if she's alright."

_Krad… Why have you been acting so different lately? In a matter of hours, you went from psycho homicidal to… this._

Krad growled. "I am not psycho," he defended, even though he knew he was lying to himself. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I guess… Taila, she reminds me a lot of myself."

Satoshi was confused. How could such a sweet girl such as Taila remind him of someone as horrible and monstrous as himself? But then again, he had never truly understood the homicidal angel, as they had been at each other's throats ever since they had met.

"Because…" he continued. "I can see some of her past in her eyes."

No, this couldn't be Krad. There was something wrong with him. He was sick or something. Who was this that was talking to him? Because it wasn't Krad!

But it was…

"There's so much pain in her eyes. I can tell that she has been mistreated, accused of things she hasn't done, and perhaps excommunicated from wherever she was from." He took a deep breath as his warm, golden eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, laying back against the headboard. "Your ancestors, a monster they have treated me, and a monster I have become. You hated me before you even knew who I was. I feel so insignificant at times, like all I'm good for is… killing. So, I became what I am, killing people simply for the fun of it. And the reason I was so tough on you at first, Satoshi, was because I was certain that you would be just like your ancestors, cruel and selfish. But you thought of everyone BUT yourself, Satoshi. I remember…" He smiled as he remembered Satoshi when he had first come into the boy's life. "I remember when you were younger, and you so afraid of doing any kind of artwork. You wouldn't even draw simple sketch, even though you loved art so much. Because you were afraid that it might have a life and hurt someone. Do you remember that?"

Satoshi took in all of Krad's words, still not believing that it was Krad that was talking to him. He nodded, ready for him to go on.

"You would cry sometimes, Satoshi, because you gave up what you loved most to protect others. And I remember…" He sighed, hardly believing what he was about to confess. "Do know why I want to kill Dark so badly, Master Satoshi?"

Satoshi shook his head.

"Because of all the times you came home after he stole another one of your families artworks, and it broke your heart, Satoshi. You hated to see your family's treasures be stolen and sealed away. As much as you hated the fact that they had power, you also hated that Dark was stealing them and sealing them away. I remember listening to you cry and thinking about how much you wished to please your new father. I think that was the main reason you hated Dark. And every time your father was disappointed in you, it would break your heart a little more, and now…" Tears formed in the angels eyes, flashes of his tamer's past playing back in his mind. "And now, I've only been making your life even more miserable. And, really, I had no reason to. You've suffered enough."

_Krad…_

"And now that I know Taila, I feel so guilty that I've become this… this monster. I know that she was mistreated in her past, yet because of that past, she has become, I think, an even better person. She is so protective of Keri and you, and she has such strong will. She has some kind of power as well, and you know something?"

There was a long pause. Neither Krad nor Satoshi spoke. Satoshi only waited for Krad to finish speaking, taking in all of his words, at the point of tears because of his alter ego's speech.

"Taila-san. She reminds me… of an angel."

_An angel?_

"Yeah… An angel without wings." He smiled and sat up, looking ahead as he began to straighten out the mass of blonde hair on top of his head. "So, I want to talk to her."

_Okay, Krad. Go talk to her. I won't try to stop you._

Krad got up and walked over to the open window. He propped up his right foot on the ledge then used his leg muscle to jump out of the window. As the wind hit his face, and he began to fall to the ground, he brought out his white wings, spreading them out behind him, and flew up into the night sky. The moon was new, and stars were twinkling across the blue-black sky. Blonde locks flowed behind him, feathers falling lightly to the ground below him. He headed towards the park, the place he had last seen the 'angel without wings.'

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She was tired. Too tired to find some place to sleep. She leaned against a tree, the same tree she had pinned Krad to the night before. Of course, he had magic, and his wounds had healed over night. She knew that… somehow. Or maybe she was just assuming, but she was quite sure that he had healed himself.

As she looked up to the moonless sky, she began to think of Tsare and the others. What they were doing. How they were doing. What they thought of her now… Probably nothing. Tears formed in her eyes, so she closed them gently and bit her bottom lip. They probably didn't miss her, think of her, talk of her. Nothing. And they had taken away her wings, the things she loved most. Oh, how she loved to fly! She missed flying so much, and she figured it would be nice to fly here on earth. To actually feel the wind on your face…

Like Krad.

But then again, he was only an artwork, having to live off of a host like some kind of parasite. An infection. But she, she was a fallen angel, accused of a crime she was innocent of, judged before people who didn't know her, treated like some kind of monster, and thieved of her precious wings that she loved so much.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them as she began to sob. Then she heard something, faint at first. Whatever it was, it came closer. Flapping wings, the wings of an angel. Could it be…

A spark of hope glowed like ember in the back of her mind as she lifted her head up to look at the angel that had just landed in front of her. But, her hope was crushed as she realized that it was Krad, the man who had just stolen her first kiss the night before. Tears were still in her eyes as she looked at him, and she knew that he saw them.

"Taila-chan…" he said quietly, kneeling beside her. There was care in his eyes, something that just didn't seem to fit him.

"Go away," she said, though it was obvious she didn't mean it. She herself couldn't understand why she wanted him there. Perhaps it was because she felt that someone actually cared.

"Taila-chan, what's wrong? Tell me where it hurts."


	28. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I dont' own DNAngel.

Helloooooo! Thank you, reviewers! You touch my heart by taking the time to review. I love you guys! -huggles you- ** KateofTate, **Hell yeah, I missed you! So that was your favorite chapter? Aww. Thanks so much. And I'm glad that you "worship" my story. I feel... special. -tear- **chocolateriku, **Yes! Awwww! That's a good thing, so I was happy to see your review, too. It may have been short, but I like "Awwww" better than "Ewwww" XD **Cherrybell, **Krad's freaking you out? It's okay. He freaks me out, too. (Krad: -glares at me-) Glad your liking the story. **k1ta.Ky0ko, **Umm. No, you cannot leave a review on every chapter! JK! Yes, you can! I would really like that. Because that'll mean more reviews for me, and whenever people are browsing through the different stories and see this one, they'll be like, "Wow. xxKitsuneTenshixx-san has a lot of reviews on her story! She must be awesome!" YAAAAAY! And I'm glad you're liking my story thus far.

Thank you reviewers. And as for you other readers who aren't reviewing... I'm begging you... REVIEW! Because I put your name up by the disclaimer and you look all special and appreciated! Isn't that nice? Lol. This isn't the best chapter but it had to be done. I kinda like the end of it, though. -shrugs- But, that's really for you to decide, isn't it? XD R&R!

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Chapter 27

"Tell me where it hurts," he told her, his fingertips brushing away her warm tears.

She looked up at him, stunned by his affection. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I'm just a little… homesick." She gave a weak smile, though she was still wondering what Krad was doing here and why he was being so kind. "Krad-san, why are you being so nice to me? You've changed so suddenly."

"Don't change the subject," he ordered, giving her arms a squeeze.

"And don't make me change my mind!" She pushed him off of her and glared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? What are you, bipolar or something?"

Krad's expression went sad, being hurt somewhat by her words. Not even he understood himself. He had changed so quickly and so much, and it even scared him a little. Not only that, but why did Taila's words hurt him so? And why was he suddenly worried about her when he saw her crying and when he saw her being attacked by those men the night before? Many why's and how's crossed his mind, consuming all of his other thoughts.

"Krad?" she asked, seeing that he seemed confused by his own emotions and thoughts. "What did you come here for?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, situating himself comfortably on the ground. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to settle his restless mind. "About last night."

"Last… night?"

"Yeah, I…" He wanted to apologize, but then he didn't want to. Apologizing just wasn't his thing! Why was he acting so strange lately? What was happening to him?

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. _There, I said it._

"You're sorry?" she asked, also wondering what was happening to him.

"I've already talked to Satoshi about everything. But lately, Taila, I haven't been myself. Surely, you've noticed."

"Hell yeah, I've noticed."

"It's because… you remind me a little of myself. I can tell when I look into your eyes that you've been mistreated. Accused of something you never did." He leaned in close to her, her face only inches from him. Her eyes were full of grief and confusion. His were full of worry and compassion. "Taila-chan, talk to me."

Tears formed in her eyes again as she looked at him. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew she couldn't. He wouldn't believe her, and even if he did, no one needed to know that she was a fallen angel. No one. So, she decided to tell him the truth, but not the whole truth.

"I was accused," she started, "of murder. A good friend of mine at that. They accused me because I have such a bad temper. So, when they decided for sure that I did it, they excommunicated me from the community and left me here. That's a long story short." She thought she did pretty good, and she hoped he believed her.

She saw that he did. It was apparent in his golden sunshine eyes. He nodded and gave her a small smile. "I believe you," he said. "I know that you wouldn't kill someone unless they mistreated one of your friends. And as soon as you said that the person murdered was actually a friend of yours, I knew you didn't do it."

"Really?" she asked, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

He nodded and wrapped him arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. He wrapped his wings around her as well, and the feathers brushed against her face to wipe away the tears. They tickled, and they reminded her of her own white wings that she once had. His wings were soft like velvet, pure white. She buried her face into his muscular chest, which was revealed because of his open shirt. Her heart beat faster the longer he held her. She found herself not wanting to pull away. Why? She hated him, but as she searched her mind for thoughts of hate, she could find none. Krad had changed, yet she felt that this was the "true Krad". The Krad that no one knew except her… and perhaps Satoshi. Chills ran down her back as he began to stroke her hair gently, his fingertips like static against her scalp.

She didn't hate him. She…

"Krad-san…" she whispered, and she was no longer crying. She looked up at him, and he stopped stroking her hair. They stared at each other for a moment, lavender eyes to gold, when she smiled and tilted her head up. She no longer hated him, and she wanted him to know that. "Kiss me now like you did last night."

He smiled back at her and lowered his head, his lips meeting hers gently at first. She began to nibble on his bottom lip when he opened his mouth in invitation. She inserted her tongue in his mouth, exploring it. His teeth scraped gently against her muscle, and she tilted her head slightly to gain better access. He forced his own tongue into her mouth now, holding her head in place against his lips. Her hands remained on his hard chest. Their lips parted, and he began to plant kisses down her neck. Then he began nipping, soft moans and other noises escaping her throat. His lips met hers again, now warm from the body heat on her neck. She enjoyed the warmness of his lips against hers and the feel of his skin beneath her palms. Their lips parted again, and she smiled at him, showing appreciation for his kindness.

"You're welcome," he said, almost as if he read her mind.

"Is Satoshi-san alright with this?" she asked, suddenly remembering that he and the boy shared the same body.

Krad nodded and smiled. "In fact, I even asked for permission before I came to see you."

"My, my. You have been a good boy. You've learned your manners so quickly."

He smirked. "I've always known my manners. I'm just finally putting them to use."

"I think you deserve some recognition," she said, giving him a quick peck on the corner of his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. "Could you do me one more favor tonight, Tenshi?"

"And what would that would be?"

She smiled as her eyes began to water again, and she eyed his wings with admiration. "Could you… fly me around the city?"

He nodded, not at all understanding why it was so important to her, but he picked her up and carried her in his arms, bridal style. He spread his silvery white wings and gave her a smile. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded, and he began to flap his wings. Feathers flew everywhere, and it wasn't long before they were off the ground. Taila looked below them to see the park slowly disappearing under them as they flew higher and higher into the moonless night sky. As he flew forwards, she faced the wind and felt it hitting her face. It dried her tears, and she smiled, now knowing what it was like to fly and feel the wind in her face. Before savoring the rest of her night with Krad, flying in circles around the town, she turned to face him and gave him a smile, her eyes forming with new tears. "Arigatou…" she said quietly. "For everything."


	29. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I own D.N.Angel... NOT!

Whoo! It's about time I got another chapter up! This one's a little important, though... So thanks for your patience! **KateofTate, **Yeah, I couldn't resist Krad taking her flying. I was like, "Aww.. That would be so sweet!" I couldn't resist! You must know how it is! XD And yeah, I like Krad better this way, too, but what would the story be without a bad guy/hinthint/ Bwah ha ha haaa! Don't worry though, it won't be just some pop-out-of-no-where-guy. I'm thinking I'll just make Satoshi's father even more evil. Hmm... We'll see. **chocolateriku, **NOOO! KRAD IS MIIIINE! Well... I like Satoshi more, though. Because he's weird. I'll let you fight Taila for Krad. How's that sound:-) **On3-LiiF3-2-Liiv3, **Yeeesssssss! A new reviewer! Wooohooooo! Anyway, glad you like the story! I'm taking it your an obsessed Satoshi fangirl? Much like myself? XD Though, I was orginally going to have the story focussing on Satoshi and Keri, but the more I wrote, the more plans changed. That, and my Krad-obsessed editor was begging me to write more Krad. So... XD

Please R&R, people! Reviews are good for the soul! Especially mine! X3

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Chapter 28 - Eternal Wings

Weeks had passed since that night they had gone flying together. They had circled the city as he held her close to him until the dawn. She was so happy with him, and it was hard to believe how horrible he had been before. They had gotten pretty close over the past few weeks. He had come to visit her almost every night, but tonight, she was going to the Hiwatari's home herself. When she had told them that she spent the night wherever, being homeless, he had asked Satoshi if she could spend the night one night. He had agreed to even let her sleep in the bed, and he would sleep on the couch. Taila had told "them" it was alright, but they insisted that she do so.

Keri had been back to normal lately. She no longer cried during class or talk to no one as if Satoshi was there. She had not even mentioned the boy or her feelings for him. Perhaps she was over him. Taila had missed the old Keri. Now, every time Akane and her friends came up to talk to her, she snapped, cursing at them and sometimes throwing things. Taila would just smile and think humorously to herself, "They grow up so fast…" The two girls had gotten pretty close as well, and the blonde had not yet told Keri about her growing relationship with Krad. In fact, the homicidal angel never even came up in their conversations. It seemed that, to Keri, neither him nor Satoshi existed. Taila would see the blunette sometimes, though, staring at Keri with such pain in his eyes. They both knew that Krad would probably allow them to be together now, but Keri was just too happy without him, so he was scared to say anything. "I don't want to stir up old emotions," he had told Taila. "I wouldn't want to create a stain in her peaceful heart. I've done enough." Not only that, but the boy was afraid of hurting her again. He really put too much on himself, and it seemed that Taila was his only friend now.

There was a half-moon tonight, and she smiled as she gazed up at the starlit sky. She was almost at the Hiwatari home, and then she could see Krad again. As the house came into view, a bright smile spread across her face, and she began to run. Her hair flew in every direction behind her as she ran, and tonight she was wearing a black mini-skirt with a white blouse. Her shoes were elegant black flats that she could easily run in. She reached the front door and knocked. Moments later, Krad came to the door, wearing all white as usual.

"You're so predictable," she said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked, returning the smile as he let her in.

"Nothing." She walked inside and sat down on the couch. The house was clean except for the table in the living room, which was cluttered with Satoshi's school books and notes. Krad sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him. She blushed and tried to get comfortable against him. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

She smirked in return. "I'm tamed you," she teased.

"You what?" He was somewhat offended, even though he knew she was probably right.

"I tamed you. You used to be horrible, tormenting people's lives… Then I came along and changed you." She said it so humorously, you could hardly tell she was serious. She beamed up at Krad while he only raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever you say," was his reply.

"Now I have you wrapped around my finger." She laughed quietly.

"You do not!" He growled and glared angrily at her. She smirked and looked up at him fearlessly.

"Settle down, boy." He sighed and settled down just as she ordered, and he knew that she was right. She had him wrapped all the way around her finger. Not that he minded; he just wasn't used to it. She giggled and poked him in the side. "Enough arguing."

"Yeah." He smirked and leaned down to kiss her. She smiled before kissing him back, just a gentle and loving kiss, his lips so tender against hers. As she pulled away, she looked into his eyes, golden suns breaking through violent storms. He kissed her again, but more passionately this time. He pushed her down as she fell back onto the cushions of the couch. As he positioned himself on top of her, careful not to crush her under his weight, she arched her back by reflex it seemed, and she opened her mouth wider to give him more access. His tongue moved skillfully inside her mouth, his hands gliding elegantly over her body. They went inside her shirt, and that's when she panicked. His hands were now running along her back, his fingers now feeling the scars that were left after her wings were cut off. She knew that he felt them, as he had stopped kissing her and was now running his palms over the scars, exploring them. She immediately started crying, knowing that he expected her to explain it. He was angry and worried at the same time as he flipped her over forcefully, sliding her shirt up to look at the scars. Deep, red indentions. Two thick lines running down her back.

"What the hell is this?" he ordered. He sounded so mad, but he was actually worried. Only trying to use anger as his maneuver to get her to tell him what happened.

"It's scars. What else do you think it is?" she snapped, tears running down her porcelain cheeks.

"Where are they from?" His voice was stern and demanding.

She didn't answer, only continued to cry. It wasn't supposed to be this way. No one was supposed to ever find out. Then again, how could she expect to keep it a secret forever?

"Where are they from!" He was yelling now, though she could look up and see the compassion in his eyes. He just had a hard time expressing it.

"Stop yelling at me, and I'll tell you everything." She sat up and scooted away from him, sobbing. She looked down and covered her face with her hands, not wanting him to see her tears.

He felt somewhat guilty and moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and letting her cry into his muscular chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck while she cried. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was just… I just want you to be open with me."

She nodded. "Remember when I told you I was accused of murder?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well… I told you I was excommunicated from where I lived. And where I lived, Krad… it's beautiful. There's no pain… no physical feeling. Everyone is happy, and almost everyone gets along. I loved it there. I had a few close friends; they were like family to me. Where I lived, Krad, is a place not just anyone can go to. I lived in a place called Heaven." She smiled, remembering the streets of gold and pearly gate entrance. She remembered her friends and the festivals they held on every holiday. She remembered how it was always sunny there, no rain or snow. Always sunshine. Krad's golden eyes reminded her of that sunshine. "I was an angel, accused of a crime I was innocent of. They cut off my wings and banned me from the Heavens."

Krad held her close to him and comforted her, now understanding the power he had always sensed from her.

She sobbed louder now, burying her face into the fabric of his white shirt. "No one loved me enough to take up for me except Tsare, and she was ignored. I'm sure Asten would have done something, though." She smiled as she thought of him. "I was in love with Asten, I must admit. He had a temper, and most people thought him to be cold and rude, but I saw who he really was. He was kind and compassionate. Then, he was murdered, and I was the one accused. I would have taken up for myself, but…" She paused as she remembered everything, the memories replaying in her head like a cinema. "The day before I was excommunicated, I went through his diary… And I found out that he wasn't in love with me but with someone else… His sister, Tsare. He had mentioned how he knew it was wrong, but he had always loved her. He had said that he'd do anything for her, but he was afraid of confessing his feelings because he was afraid she'd feel the same way, and he didn't want her to be cursed by love that bordered on incest. He didn't want her to live a horrible life. I respected his decision, but it still hurt to know that I had been so strangely rejected by him. I therefore accepted my fate… No one loved me enough Krad. No one. I was hated and rejected by not only Asten but by every angel in Heaven. No one loved me…"

"I love you, Taila," he said quietly in her ear. New tears formed in her eyes, not of sorrow but of joy. She had never been told that before, and who would she have wanted more to tell her that than the man she loved. No longer Asten, but Krad, the blonde, white-winged angel, who, despite his homicidal and sadistic ways, was perfect in every way to her. She smiled and snuggled against him.

"I love you, too," she said. "Not Asten. I love you, Krad."

He held her in a tight embrace and kissed her gently on the cheek. "They took your wings away only temporarily. I'm your wings now, Taila. Your eternal wings."

More tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, his hands gently stroking her scarred back. She was happy here with him, and no words could describe the utter bliss of being held in his arms this way.

It wasn't long before they were both asleep, their clothes wet from tears, two angels embracing each other under a blanket of white wings.


	30. Chapter 29

Meep! Yay! Another CHAPTER! So... too bad I don't own D.N.Angel. Else, I'd be getting a positive cash flow from all you wonderful readers. Thank you so much for reveiwing! You guys are awesome! Cyber cookies for you all!

**KateofTate, **This isn't a sweet chapter, I'm sorry! It won't make you cry, but... it's fairly interesing I guess. -shrugs- But, hey, I've got a good conclusion for this story, and I know you'll love it! UNEXPECTED THINGS TO COME:P **Brittany, **Aww. You never were the fan uf mushy-gushy-lovey-dovey, were you? XD But you still loved it, though! Yayness! As for the incest... I thought it would be interesting. It puts a new twist in the plot. Remember chapter 15! -points- Uh huh. It makes sense now, doesn't it! **sw33t-bLiss, **Hmm... Never watched Naruto. O.o I feel so dumb. I don't get around to watching anime much. I usually like the mangas better. :P At the moment, I'm reading Angel Sanctuary. But... I'll have to see Gaara if Greg Ayres does the voice! Wootness! **Bowleena, **my newest reviewer! Weee! Good to hear you're liking the story so far. Hope to hear from you again. -happy dance- **chocolateriku, **Am I going to fix stuff between Satoshi and Keri? ... May I leave that as... no comment? Mwah ha ha haaa.

Please review, my adored readers! You get cyber cookies if you do:-)

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Chapter 29 - Understood

Phoenix wings spread, black hair flowing gracefully behind her, Keri Anida was flying over the beach, not wearing the mask, as she didn't care if she was recognized or not. She hummed to herself as she looked down at the waves crashing against the shore, flying high above them. She smiled sadly, remembering this as the place she had first found out that Satoshi was Krad. She remembered how Krad had come behind her and held her onto the ground and licked her face. She had flown away from him then, and he had caught up to her. He then gripped his hands tightly around her neck when Satoshi stopped him, causing the homicidal angel to transform back as Satoshi plunged towards the sea below them. She had thankfully caught him before he hit the water. And as she landed back on the ground, he explained to her his condition. It was because of this condition that he had left her.

She refused to cry anymore, though. He wouldn't want her to cry. She had seen him at school sometimes, even though she tried her best to ignore the fact that he was there. Every time she had seen him, he was sad, and he seemed to be watching her. It was almost as if he missed her. Lately, she had been acting like she was over him; but, honestly, she was missing him, too. It wasn't her own tears she drowned in now, it was loneliness. Sure, she had Taila, but Taila was nothing like Satoshi. She remembered how much fun they had together. Especially that last day they had spent together. She had invited him over, as he had needed some recreation time. All that work his dad loaded on him and dealing with Krad. She wondered what he was doing right now, how Krad was treating him these days…

How was he even dealing with that monster alone? His father was hardly ever home, and when he ever did come home, it was to only criticize poor Satoshi for having not captured Dark yet. And the Phantom Thief couldn't be easy to catch anyway. He had wings and magic, so he was at an advantage. Satoshi knew that he would have a better chance at capturing him if he let Krad out, but he didn't want the angel hurting anyone. That boy was so selfless, thinking of everyone in the world but himself, much unlike his greedy ancestors.

She landed next to the water, sticking her bare feet into it. She smiled sadly as the cool waves rushed over her ankles and sat down, wrapping her phoenix wings around her to block the salty breeze. She stared blankly at the horizon as memories of Satoshi came sweeping through her mind.

She sat there for the longest time, perhaps half an hour. Though, it seemed like forever. And all this time, all she could think about was her happiest memories with Satoshi. There were so many, though. And she didn't even mind the memories of Krad trying to rape her and kill her.

"You look so lonely," came a male voice.

Keri turned around to see Dark standing there. "Dark-san?" she asked, eyeing his black wings and outfit, black pants and dress shirt along with a black trench coat with a high collar. He was carrying what looked to be a painting, and she could hear police sirens in the background. Though, as she heard the sirens, only one thought crossed her mind. _Satoshi…_

"Yeah," he said with a small smirk. He sat down next to her and looked at the horizon. "They're heading in the other direction." He was right, as she could tell that the sirens were becoming quieter. "So, I can stay a while."

She nodded and looked away from him. "Why are you here?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sure Hiwatari has already told you that I exist within the Niwa DNA, ne?"

She nodded, faintly remembering the boy mentioning it.

"Well, Daisuke… he's been worried about Hiwatari. He said that you two were great friends when you all of a sudden started avoiding each other. He's been so worried. He hates to get into your business, but he wanted to tell you one thing."

"He doesn't have to tell me anything," she snapped angrily. "It wasn't my fault. This was his doing, not mine."

"I know more than you think I do," the thief replied. She looked into his amethyst eyes, which were soft and not so seductive looking as they had on television. "Ever since the two of you stopped talking, Satoshi has been so down, and Krad was taking over easily. But lately, I've noticed, that Krad hasn't been taking over much at all, even though Satoshi is still depressed as he was before."

"I don't understand," she said.

"What I mean is… Krad is changing. I know him too well to think that he's just tired of taking over his body. I know he would normally try to take control at any time possible."

"So what are you trying to tell me? And what does it have to do with Satoshi-kun and I?"

"I think that, if you gave it another chance, Krad would allow the two of you to be together."

"You're crazy," she said, getting up and brushing the sand off her outfit. Blue jeans and a simple gray blouse. "Besides, it's not Krad that wouldn't allow us to be together. It's Hiwatari-kun himself. If Krad would allow it now, he would say something." She walked away from him, gently brushing against his wings by accident.

He scoffed and got up as well. He reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around and forcing her to face him. "You think so?" He glared at her, though softly. It wasn't that he was mad, only trying to get his point across. "What if the reason he won't talk to you now is because you seem so much happier without him?"

For a moment, she believed what he said, but she quickly changed her mind. "What would you know about anything?" She pulled away from him and stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll let him make the decision. I don't want to get my hopes up to have them crushed again." She turned away from him again and continued walking. She was about to fly off when she heard him speak again.

"Why wait for him to make the move? Maybe he's waiting for you, too?"

She sighed and decided not to reply to that. She spread the fiery red wings and took off into the sky, leaving Dark alone on the deserted beach. The tears rolled down her cheeks now as she flew towards her home. She was tempted to go the Hiwatari home, but she figured it was too late in the night. _Maybe another day…_

Dark sighed as he watched her fly off. He shook his head and tried his best to communicate with Daisuke, who had been friends with Satoshi until the whole Keri ordeal. It hurt him as well to see the boy suffering like this.

_Daisuke… are you alright?_

_Yeah. I'm just worried about Hiwatari-kun… Hey, Dark, what do you think she'll do?_

_To tell you the truth, Daisuke, I think it would take some sort of catastrophe to bring them back together._

_Catastrophe? What do you mean?_

_Something to help them realize how much they care for each other, and how much they are suffering. Something to help them understand that they need each other._

_Well, let's not get involved more than we already are. Let fate decide what will happen next._

_Fate… she's not very nice, is she, Daisuke?_

_No, I guess not._

Dark sighed and spread his wings behind him. He held the artwork securely in his arms and took off into the sky, doing his best to stay away from the police officers below him. It wasn't long before he was back at the Niwa residence, and he changed back into Daisuke. The redhead set the painting down where his mother would find it and walked upstairs to his room. As he changed and crawled into bed, he said aloud to his alter ego, "Hey, Dark? Why do you think Krad is changing?"

The thief was silent for a while before answering. _I think he's finally able to understand Hiwatari…_

"What do you mean by that?"

_That he finally knows what it's like… to care about someone._

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Woohoo! Dark appeared in my story! Lol! This is probably just a one-time thing, though. I hope it fits well enough. I had to have Keri find out a little bit somehow! O.O;;;


	31. Chapter 30

Hmm... I dont' guess I gave you guys enough time to review, did I:P Oh, well. It's still another chapter! 2 chapters in one day! Go me! So, yes, I was really bored... and I'm really eager to get this story finished! I WANNA START ANOTHER ONE! Wheeeee!

**KateofTate, **Let me see... I'm guesstimating 36 - 40 chapters. (Hopefully 40!) It all depends, really... On how long the chapters end up being. :P I mean, if it's 36 chapters, they're going to be some long chapters. -shrugs- I'll just have to write it and see how well it goes together, see where I need to leave you guys hanging... Stuff like that. Hopefully, I'll have more time to write, and I can finish this quickly (but thoroughly!) because I have so many other ideas for more stories! YAYNESS!

Oh! By the way... You know, I said before that I was... er... really bored. So, I made a website for Eteranl Wings. XD A waste of my time, I'm sure, but I bet some of you would like to see some of the artwork I did. -smiles- Brittany-kun, my editor, also has some artwork that she should be posting up there soon. Hope you likey! I'll post up the link on my profile, k:-)

Chapter 30

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He just couldn't take it anymore. If he had to watch her shed one more tear for him, he didn't know what he would do. He had to tell her the truth about Asten. How he died. Who killed him.

Keeai had dealt with the constant misery of his only daughter for too long, and he knew that he would never be able to handle it unless he told the truth. It had taken a lot of thought though, because if he admitted to killing her twin brother, Taila would be brought back to Heaven. He didn't want her to come back, but he wanted Tsare to be happy…

But then again, maybe Taila had changed. Maybe she had learned her lesson. She had been living on earth for several months now. Would she be different if they brought her back to the Heavens?

He stood in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom. She was crying again, burying her face deep into her pillow. The walls of her room were decorated with old photos of her, Asten, and Taila together. Such happy memories she had pasted to the wall, yet all that came out of those memories were tears.

"Tsare…" he said quietly to her. When she didn't answer, he spoke louder. "Tsare."

"Come to give me another speech, father?" she asked coldly through sobs. "Come again to tell me how much of a horrible person Taila is?" She sat up and looked at him, a cross between sadness and a cold glare.

"No…" He shook his head and walked over to her, sitting next to her on her bed. He stroked her fine, brown hair and looked into her emerald eyes which glistened with tears. "Taila's not the horrible person I've come to tell you about today."

"Oh? So you've found someone else to blame?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No, I've been blaming this person all along."

He could tell just by looking at her that she didn't understand. It was that same look she had given him when he had told her, "Asten's dead," when she had asked him where he was. She had not believed him and ran to his room herself to find his cold, lifeless body lying in the floor. She had held him in her arms for hours, crying and cursing God's name.

"Taila… she didn't kill Asten," he said quietly.

"Oh? Now, you believe me?"

"I've always believed you, Tsare. I've always known it wasn't her." He was silent for a moment as he turned away from her, refusing to look her in the eyes as he told her. "I killed your brother."

_I killed your brother._ Those words repeated and echoed inside her head. Anger swept over her as she stood up and grabbed the angel by his collar, staring at him coldly in the eyes. "Why the fuck did you do it?" she demanded. "Your own fucking son! How could you, you monster!" Tears streamed down her face as she shoved him down and pulled a piece of paper off her wall, the same letter she had found so long ago. The letter he had written just before he died. "Explain this, and tell me everything."

He was now crying as well, and he could hardly believe he had told her that much. He sighed and took the letter, reading it over and over again.

_Sacrifices are not always the easiest thing to make. Especially when you're sacrificing your own life for the person you love. If my life is taken, I can protect her. I don't know how quite yet, but I am confident that I will know soon enough. So, this is my goodbye. My farewell. Whoever reads this, tell everyone to remember me. And even though I am now dead, I still live in all your hearts._

_ASTEN_

He shook his head, remembering his son and how he was in love with his own sister. He guessed that was another reason he had wanted him dead. It was for the best, wasn't it? How dare he even think of cursing her with incestuous love. He knew, because he had read his diary behind Tsare's back and hid it from her before she got the chance to read it.

"He was in love with you," he started "and he was afraid to tell you that, because he didn't want you to feel the same. He didn't want you to suffer. But the main reason I killed him, my main reason for protecting you, was because that Taila was trouble. And I knew that if I made it look like she did it, that she would be gone, and you would be protected."

Tsare shook with sorrow and rage, backhanding her father across the face and leaving knuckle imprints in his cheeks. "Why is everyone wanting to protect me? I can take care of myself, mind you. You're a murderer, father! The murderer of your own son!" She turned from him and started to storm out of the room, but he quickly got up and stopped her by wrapping his arms around her and securing her. She struggled against him, but he was much stronger than she.

"Calm down, Tsare. It was for the best."

"Yaro! Hanase!"

"I'm never going to let you go," he said. "Not after all that I've done for you."

"You've done nothing but ruin my life and end my brother's. Now, let me go NOW!"

He held her tighter and buried his face into her long hair, wetting it with his own tears. "Remember, my daughter. Remember."

"Remember what?" she demanded at the top of her lungs.

"Remember all the good times we all spent together. Remember all the holidays and the laughter. Remember me forever, and I'll turn myself in."

She stopped struggling and, instead, turned around to face him. She stared at him, so confused and tainted by all that had happened in the past several months. "You'll… turn yourself in…"

He nodded and stroked her face. "And they'll probably kill me," he said, "but they'll bring Taila back. I'll ask them to let you go down to earth and tell her yourself. You'll have to carry her, though, considering that she no longer has wings."

She still hated her father for what he had done, but she couldn't' help but thank him for that small token before they killed him. She, too, knew that they would kill him because of all the lies he had told the others.

"She'll be so happy to see you," he said, smiling sadly.

"I thought you hated Taila," she told him quietly, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I do," he said. "But I love you more, and I think her punishment should have changed her attitude enough."

She nodded and looked down as tears continued to flow from her closed eyes. "Father… thank you for… at least trying. I guess I have to give you credit for that." She couldn't' help it, as it wasn't in her nature to hate. Despite all the wrong he had done, he was still her father, her only living relative. Though, that wouldn't last too much longer, would it?

He nodded and hugged her. "Go find Taila. I'm sure she'll be happy to come back home." He released her and walked away from her, and she only stared at him as she watched him go. "I'm going to turn myself in. I'll tell them that you're going to look for Taila. They'll understand."

In a matter of only a few moments, he was gone. Tsare collapsed on the floor and lay there sobbing. She had always loved her brother, but not the way he had loved her. Tsare really didn't have romantic feelings for anyone. She had always told herself that friends and family would be better than any man that was out there for her. Taila and Asten were all she needed, but they were both gone. Though, she was quite happy that Taila would be coming back and that Asten's killer was finally revealed. For the longest time, she didn't know what to think. She kept saying he had killed himself, but the more she thought about it, the more the didn't think it possible. Her mind just couldn't take any more theories or accusations. It was a load off her mind to hear her father confess, but the load on her heart would forever be there.

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Bum bum buuuuuuum... Please review!


	32. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: You should know by now!

Thanks, everyone, for your reviews. They make me so happy:-) **KateofTate, **Will Taila go back to Heaven... Hmm. NOT TELLING! XD Hope you liked the artwork... My friend posted some up, too. I don't know if you saw those yet. -shrugs- She's WAY better than me, so I demand that everyone looks at her work! Lol. **sw33t-bLiss, **Yay yay! Me hope you lie this chapter, too:-) **chocolateriku, **Yeah, Krad better watch out. XD I'm anticipating his reaction, ne:P **BrokenHeartsBeaton, **I don't mind spelling mistakes! Quit apologizing! I love you just the same! XD You still get cyber cookies, okay:-) Thanks again, for reveiwing.

PLEASE REVEIW! (flames are accepted. just don't kill me, okay?)

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Chapter 31

Where could she be? He had looked everywhere for her! Under each table, behind each door, in every closet. He guessed it was pretty obvious that he had never played hide and seek before. "Taila," he said quietly, even though he knew she wouldn't answer him. "Where are you?" As he walked beside Satoshi's bed, about to look under the boy's desk, he heard something coming from underneath the bed.

"Gotcha!" Taila exclaimed, jumping up and landing on the angel's back. She had been hiding under the bed and had waited for the opportune moment to jump him from behind. She giggled and kissed his cheek, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist.

Krad smiled and fell backwards onto the mattress so that he was laying on top of her. He pushed all of his weight on her and gave a small chuckle.

"You're… squishing…me!" she choked, though she was laughing. She squirmed beneath him but could not get away, so she began to tickle his sides.

"Ah! Damn it!" he yelled as she tickled him.

_Krad ticklish? Oh, my… _Satoshi commented.

Krad growled playfully at his tamer and turned over so that he was now facing Taila; she was laying comfortably on her back while Krad hovered over her on his hands and knees. She removed her hands from his sides and smiled up at him, her lavender eyes brighter than usual today. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her head up closer to his, giving him a light peck on the lips.

"I never thought the almighty, fearless Krad would have been ticklish," she said with a small laugh as she nuzzled his neck. It had been almost two weeks since he had told her that he had loved her for the first time. She had come over today to see him before she went to school. He had changed somewhat. He sometimes had sudden urges to kill people, but she figured that would never change. Besides, Krad wouldn't be Krad if he wasn't psychotic and homicidal.

"Oh, damare," he said, rolling over on his side so that he was laying next to her. He laid his head on her shoulder, breathing softly down her neck.

"Don't tell me to shut up." She poked him in the side gently. "Else, I'll tickle you again. Is that what you want?"

He growled playfully and poked her back. "No, not really."

She sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment, and she stroked his hair gently as he rested his head upon her shoulder. She smiled softly and laid her cheek on top of his head. "Krad, tell me about your life before this generation."

"Before this generation?" He sighed, remembering his past, how horrible he was and how horribly he had been treated. He hesitated at first, but was confident that she'd love him either way. Love him for who he was now rather than before. "I must tell you, Taila, I was horrible. I killed many people for the fun of it. I killed whoever dared to get close to my tamer, because I didn't want them in my way of killing Dark. I raped many young women. Women who were still virgins, and I had stolen that innocence from them. I was amused by their screams and pleas to stop."

It was then the girl sat up and faced him, a sad but soft look in her eyes. She was beautiful from this angle, he mentally noted. She smiled sadly and closed her eyes. "Would you take that innocence from me, Krad?" she asked quietly. She opened her eyes and he could see the tears. It hurt her to think of the helpless women he had taken advantage of, and she hated the fact that he did it. But she knew that she had changed him. And she felt somewhat like a heroine. So, perhaps, they were tears of joy, too.

"Not unless you want me to," he said, gently stroking her face. "I won't do anything against your will. I promise."

She smiled and laid back down, this time on his chest. As she rested her head sideways on him, she could hear his heart beating. She smiled and began twirling a lock of his long hair in her fingers, his heart thumping against the side of her face.

"You like listening to my heartbeat?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded and cuddled against him, warm from his body heat. "We'll have to leave soon," she said sadly, "to go to school." 'We' as in her and Satoshi.

Krad scoffed and started to get up. "I don't see how you guys stand this school crap. It's boring as hell. I just go to sleep during your classes, so I don't have to hear it." Of course, existing within Satoshi, he had to go to school whenever the boy did. "If you had a martial arts class, I might be a little more interested."

Taila sat up as well, now looking at Krad in the eyes. Lavender to Gold. "No, I think the mental asylum is the place for you," she teased, poking him in the nose. "Tag! You're it!" She jumped off the bed and ran downstairs as fast as she could, careful not to trip over anything.

"You little bitch!" he called after her humorously, getting off the bed and running after her. He was much faster than she was, so it wasn't long before he caught up to her. When he finally did, they were in the living room. He tackled her to the floor, knocking the breath out of her and licking her face.

"You sick, demented psycho!" she yelled, wiping her face clean of the saliva. She laughed briefly and looked up at him again. "I love you anyway, though."

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her lips as she wrapped her arms around his torso.

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Keri waited outside her house for Taila to come. They always walked to school together, though Satoshi used to walk with them as well, but…

Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the ends curling elegantly under. Two lines of hair hung down, though, one on each side of her face against her temples. She had woke up this morning with a feeling of dread, like something bad was going to happen. So, she was quite impatient this morning as she waited for Taila. It was then that she saw the blonde running towards her.

"Keri-san!" Taila waved at her, wearing a bright smile.

Keri forced a small smile and looked down at her feet as she waited for Taila to catch up to her. She noticed that, despite her bright smile, she looked worried about something. "Taila-san, you look as if something is bothering you," she said as the blonde caught up to her.

Taila's smile faded as the scenario replayed in her mind. Krad had to sneak her out of the Hiwatari home because Satoshi's father had come home. He looked rather angry, too. Krad had told her to run, as Chief Hiwatari was never a good person to be around when he was angry. She nodded and did as he said, just as he transformed back into Satoshi. She was worried about the boy, as no one had not yet told her what his father did to him. She suspected, though, after having gone to his house to see him bruised up the way he was, that his father was physically abusive to him. It seemed, though, that Satoshi didn't want anyone to know, so she kept her accusations to herself. _If it's important, Krad will inform me of something…_

"Oh, it's nothing," she lied to Keri. "I just had a weird dream last night that's still on my mind."

"Ah." Keri nodded, and they began to walk slowly towards the school. It wasn't a long walk, and they still had plenty of time. It was a beautiful morning, even if it was cold. They were both wearing jackets, but it still didn't break the cold, gentle breeze that blew every now and then.

"So, have you been having more control of your wings lately?" Taila asked.

"They still have a mind of their own," Keri said with a small smile. "They haven't been coming out as often, but they hurt like hell when they do."

"I bet." She almost told Keri to consider Satoshi's situation, but she didn't care to even mention his name to her. "Perhaps you are gaining some control over them."

She shrugged. "I guess. Maybe… Time will tell, ne?"

Taila nodded as they walked by a house where kids were playing in the front yard. They were all too young to be in school, and their parents weren't outside watching them. It was then that one of them fell and scraped his knee. He screamed as he saw the blood, and his brother and sister tried their best to comfort him. Taila smiled sadly and walked towards them.

"I'll be right back," she told Keri, who was standing just at the edge of the road. She nodded and watched Taila go to the crying boy and help him with his scrape. As she helped him, Keri could hear her telling him a story about a brave prince who was wounded in battle when a beautiful princess came to heal his wounds. And they later got married. The boy's sister giggled and told Taila that he wasn't a prince. Keri couldn't help but smile to herself, and she was too busy watching Taila and the boy that she did not notice the sound of tires squealing behind her. Or at least not until it was too late.

Taila had seen the car, though. A small black car that looked all too familiar, as she had just seen it this morning. It was Satoshi's father. He was speeding down the road, not paying attention to Keri who seemed to be in her own little world. "Keri, get out of the road!" she screamed as she watched the car draw nearer to Keri, and it all seemed to happen in slow motion.

Keri turned around from reflex to the sound behind her to see the car. And the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness as the car made impact were the eyes of the driver, Satoshi's raging father.


	33. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't these characters. But I do own the plot:-)

Sorry about the cliffhanger... NOT! I love cliffhangers. The screw with your mind. Now, I shall take a moment to thank my wonderful reveiwers... **KateofTate, **Yes, that did just happen. Is she going to be alright? Time will tell. Hahaha! And yes, the ending will be a new beginning.. So I might just write a sequel! Maybe... No promises... I want to though! **chocolateriku, **That name is just so cute! chocolateriku.. Sorry, just had to say that! Lol. And, no, you can't have Krad... unless you want to die. Taila might kill you. O.o (Taila: sharpens knives) Oh dear... **BrokenHeartsBeatOn, **I really do want to write a sequel, seeing that so many people are liking the story. And the people who DO like it, LOVE it! You have no idea how happy this makes me, everyone:-) **thefirephoenixprincess, **yay! A new reveiwer! -happy dance- Thanks so much for reveiwing. I'm sure you'll like the rest of the story (seeing that you reveiwed after chapter...17, and you're liking it so far! yay!)

Please Reveiw! Flames are accepted. Just remember I have feelings, too.

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Chapter 32

The children were frantic, but Taila was lost for words. She gasped and told the children to go inside and tell their mother to call an ambulance. Crying hysterically, they did so. She, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction, straight towards Keri. Hiwatari, by this time, had gotten out of the car to check on her as well. Taila gave him a glare as he knelt beside Keri.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" she warned.

The man looked up at her with a mildly confused look on his face. "Well, maybe I feel a little guilty for hitting her," he said with no emotion.

The way he sounded like he hardly cared enraged her. A normal person would be frantic and probably not driving as carelessly as he was. "If you hadn't been driving like a maniac, this wouldn't have happened!" she screamed at him. She pushed him away forcefully and knelt beside the body of her best friend. She was alive, but there was blood pouring from her stomach, and she had cuts all over her body. Taila held her hands over the wound on her stomach, wondering how in Heaven's name she had survived. Truly a miracle.

"Satoshi! Stay away!" she heard the man's voice say.

_Oh, no… _she thought. _Not Satoshi… Not now. He can't see her like this…_

She looked up to see the blunette boy walking towards them, his face flushed completely. It was almost as if a ghost was walking towards her. He passed his father without a word and knelt beside Keri in the pool of her blood. Taila didn't know what to do. Stay or leave them be? It could be Keri's last moments of life, and she'd rather Satoshi be there for that, as she knew how much the boy was still in love with her.

Taila looked into Satoshi's eyes, which were emotionless but full of heavy tears. "Satoshi-kun, hold your hand over this wound," she said quietly, referring to her stomach. He nodded, nibbling his bottom lip to keep from crying out. As Taila removed her hand from the wound, Satoshi's quickly replaced it. His other hand stroked her face gently, and the children's parents were now running outside to see what happened.

"The ambulance is on its way," the mother cried out. The father stood outside only for a moment before going back inside to calm the children, who had seen the entire thing happen. Taila turned to Hiwatari again and gave a cold glare. She wanted to kill him, to torture him and listen to him scream. She wanted him to suffer for what he had done to Keri and God knows what he had done to Satoshi. She walked up to him and used all of her strength to throw him against the car, which now had a dent in the front from where he had hit Keri.

She held him by his shirt collar, looking up into his cold, dark eyes. "What's your fucking problem?" she demanded. "How could you just drive so crazily and not even slow down when a 14-year-old girl is plain in view. A girl who has her whole life ahead of her, and you might just take that away. She may be alive now, but who knows if she'll live? Whether she dies or not, I hope you suffer, and I hope you regret this every day for the rest of your life!"

By this time, the children's mother hand wrapped her arms around the fallen angel and tried pulling her off the man. "Sweetie, it was an accident. Please calm down."

Taila had tears streaming heavily down her face from her rage filled eyes as she struggled against the woman. "An accident that could have been prevented! I hope you rot in Hell!"

While Taila continued to scream and curse at Chief Hiwatari, and the woman still trying to keep her from ripping the man to pieces, Satoshi sat quietly beside Keri, trying his best not to cry out, which he so desperately wanted to do. He wanted to scream out 'why' and do a whole lot more to his father than Taila wanted to, and he wanted to hold Keri's body close to him, but he was afraid of worsening her wounds.

_She's going to be okay, Master Satoshi._

The boy did not answer him, only lay his head down upon her body, covering himself in her blood. He wanted to be as close to her as possible, and he wanted to be able to hear her heartbeat. As he laid his head down on her chest, he could feel it barely beating. He closed his eyes and listened carefully, to the heartbeat rather than Taila's curses at his psychotic father.

_Master Satoshi, please speak to me. I promise everything will be okay._

_You don't know that, Krad. Just… Just leave me alone._

The blonde angel didn't say another word to him, figuring he'd rather listen to Keri's heartbeat than his rambling anyway. He should have killed Hiwatari when he had the chance. He should have taken over this morning once he started beating Satoshi again and killed him. One could not see, but Satoshi was covered in bruises. The man had beat him with his own fist this morning, so it wasn't as bad as usual, but it was still horrible, and the boy was in much physical pain as much as emotional. As soon as his father took off in his car, both he and Krad had a sudden feeling of dread. Krad had told Satoshi to leave the house immediately and head in the direction that his father went, which was in the same direction as Keri's house. Both were panicking, especially when they heard the tires squealing and the Taila screams of "Keri, get out of the road!"

The ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes. Paramedics jumped out of the vehicle and pulled out a stretcher to lay her upon. "Move, kid," one of them told Satoshi. The words were demanding, but the way he said it was gentle and somewhat pitiful. They lowered the stretcher and laid Keri on it, leaving nothing but a pool of blood in the street. They applied pressure to her wounds as they rushed her into the ambulance. Taila stepped in behind them and then Satoshi.

"Satoshi, don't you go with them!" his father demanded. "You have to go to school!" Satoshi stuck his head out of the ambulance for a moment before they closed the doors and glared dangerously at his father.

"You know what, Father? Fuck you."

He the looked away from him and sat down next to Keri, feeling a bit taller after saying that. Though, at the moment, his main concern was Keri. He would worry about his father later. As they closed the doors, they began their ride to the hospital. Taila patted Satoshi on the back and laid her head on his shoulder, tears still flowing from her lavender eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, trying her best to give him the comfort he needed.

"She's going to be fine," she said, though she was more telling herself that. She wasn't so sure herself, really.

Satoshi nodded and showed no reacting to her hugging him. He only stroked Keri's face while the paramedics continued to do the best that they could before they arrived at the hospital, mostly trying to keep her alive.

"Her pulse is dropping," one of them said.

Satoshi panicked, and he could feel his own heart skipping a beat before beating rapidly in his chest. What the paramedics were saying was all incomprehensible at the moment. All that he saw was a blur. The only clear images he had were memories of Keri, her laughter and elegant beauty. A faint memory came to him then, one of him catching up to her one day after school. He had called her name, asking her to wait for him, and she had turned around and smiled that smile only he knew. That smile he loved so much about her. It killed him inside to think that he may never see that smile again.

_"Ne...Are you alright? You seem lonely."_

_"Arigatou, Hiwatari-san. I'm glad that I have a friend like you."_

_"It's hard to live sometimes...it is...but sometimes you just have to stop worrying...just stop..." _

_"You shouldn't cry Hiwatari-san...It's not a good look for you..." _

"_It's worth it. All of it is. You're the only one who has ever cared about me."_

He just couldn't take it anymore. All the memories pounding inside his head, the metallic smell of Keri's blood smeared across his hands and face and clothes. "Keri… No!" he screamed while Taila tried to calm him down, seeing how badly he was freaking out.

"Hiwatari-san, please!"

"Keri, no! I'm so sorry! I'll never leave you again. Just don't leave me now! Not like this! …Keri!"

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Haha! Another Cliffhanger. (don't kill me, please!)


	34. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own D.N.Angel or the characters. Just the plot of this fanfiction.

WOW! This chapter was hard to write! Sorry for the suckiness. :-/ It's pretty sad, though, and at the same time, happy. (How did I manage that?) :-) **KateofTate, **Too sad to like? XD Well, remember back when Dark said that it would take a catastrophe to bring them back together? I GAVE IT AWAY, PEOPLE! Look for little stuff like that. I tend to do things like that all the time. XD Yes, emotions are very fun to play with. I keep all your emotions on a shelf in my bedroom, and I play with them all the time. Hee hee hee hee! (Whoa, that sounded a little creepy. O.o) **sw33t-bLiss, **Don't you love cliffies? -cackles- Glad you like. :-) **BrokenHeartsBeatOn, **Don't damn my cliffhangers! Lol. Damn them all you want to, I still love them. And I like to use them... -maniacal laughter- (Yes, I have listened to Sephiroth's theme song one too many times. Btw, I picture Krad dancing ballet to that song. O.o) Thanks again, BHBO! **thefirephoenixprincess, **Satoshi OOC? I didn't think so... Okay, maybe a little. Of course, I go more by the manga, and he seems very selfless in the manga. Of course, no one could really get to know his personality very well, because he's so... distant. So, I guess everyone has their own interpretation of Satoshi Hiwatari's true personality. Anyway, thanks for your review! I'm glad you likey! **chocolateriku, **Hmm.. Keri isn't immortal, just possessed by an artwork. I don't think that would make her immortal... would it? -shrugs- I wouldn't think so, but I never really thought about it. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Hehe. (most of the time)

Please review, readers! I know you're out there:-D

Chapter 33

"She's going to be fine," the doctor told Satoshi while he and Taila waited outside Keri's room in intensive care. "But there was a lot of damage to the womb."

Satoshi only stared at him, as he knew exactly what was coming next.

It was bad enough that they had lost her on the way here. When her pulse dropped, she was gone shortly after, but they were able to bring her back, thankfully.

"It will heal, but it will leave scar tissue, and she won't be able to have any children."

Taila shook her head as more tears formed in her eyes. Satoshi was standing in front of her, and she almost didn't dare to see the look on his face, thankful that she had a view of his back rather than his front. But she knew that he needed her comfort, so she gently touched his shoulders and turned him around to face her. He was pale, scared to death it seemed. The look on his face was so heartbreaking, that even one who did not know him or the situation would cry for him. She then hugged him, burying her face into his blood-stained shirt. The metallic smell did not bother her, as all she could comprehend at the moment was the word, "why."

Satoshi hugged her back, feeling tears beginning to flow from his blue eyes. He took a deep breath, wishing that this was all just a dream, that he would wake up and Keri would be the way she was before.

"Before you go in to see her," the doctor spoke again. He sighed and looked to her room, a sad and heartbroken expression on his face. "She… doesn't know yet."

Satoshi pulled away from Taila's embrace and nodded at the doctor. He started to walk into her room, but Taila stopped him by grabbing his arm. He turned to face her, and he could see his own pain reflected in her eyes.

"It's not your fault, Satoshi-kun," she said. She had known him well enough to know that he would blame himself for this.

"If I was good enough…" he said quietly. "If I could do one simple task that my father asked me to do, this would have never happened."

"No," she scolded. "If your father had some sense, this would have never happened. Do you understand me?"

He sighed and turned away from her, deciding not to comment back and looked down at his feet. As he opened the door to Keri's room, Taila waited outside, as she figured that the two needed to be alone for a moment.

He closed the door behind him and lifted his gaze to her, sleeping soundly in the warm hospital bed, despite the noises coming from the equipment that was keeping her alive. They had cleaned her up, he noticed, and she still looked beautiful even if she was beaten up and bruised. He walked over to the bed and sat upon the thin covers, gently stroking her face and moving away the strands of black hair. He could hear her humming softly in her sleep, and it made him smile. And it had been so long since he had truly smiled. She then opened her eyes, mildly shocked to see who was with her.

"Hi-Hiwatari?" she said weakly and quietly, and he could see tears forming in her dark eyes. "You…"

"Shh…" he said, placing a finger over her lips. "You're fine, okay?"

She let out a small cry and covered her mouth. It was so good to see him again, even if it was here of all places. "Satoshi…" she managed to whisper, heavy tears falling from her eyes. She tried to sit up so that she could hug him, wrap her arms around him so that she could hold him and feel the warmth of his body. She missed that warmth, and she missed him. As she sat up, though, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She winced and let out another cry, now trying to lay back down.

"No, don't move," he said, helping her lay back down. He would have hugged her, but he wouldn't dare take the risk of hurting her any worse. "You'll hurt yourself."

She sighed and gave a small smile as she looked up at him. "I've missed you," she said quietly but happily.

"I've missed you, too." He smiled back at her and took her hand in his, running his thumb over the soft skin. "Taila-san's outside. Do you want to see her?"

"Not just yet, Hiwatari-san. I want to be with you right now." She was silent for a moment, closing her eyes as she tried her best to endure the pain in her lower abdomen. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you, too," he said, though he doubted what she planned to say was similar to what he did. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, and that every day he was without her, he was miserable. That he was sorry for everything, even if she did tell him to quit apologizing as she always had before. He also needed to tell her about the damage the wreck had caused to her womb, and he wondered how she would take it. He couldn't recall her ever talking about children much, but he did remember how she had helped that child in the park the day that they met. Mother instinct, he assumed, but it also seemed that most every girl dreamed of having at least one child someday.

She wondered what it was that he wanted to tell her. _Maybe… he wants us to be friends again. Since he probably only wanted a friendship with me in the first place._ She wished so much that he would love her, to tell her that he loved her, but she doubted it would happen. But if he wanted to be friends with her, that would make her happy as well. At least they could be together.

He gave a small smile and leaned closer to her, hurting himself because of the bruises beneath his clothes that his father had put there this morning. He showed no strain or agony, though, only tolerated it. His lips were brushing against hers now, and a small blush crept up her cheeks.

"I love you, Keri-san," he said quietly as he kissed her gently on the lips.

_I love you, Keri-san. _She would have gasped if he had not kissed her after he said it, and she was too stunned to kiss him back. He loved her… It seemed so unreal, but it was reality. She began to cry again, closing her eyes to keep the tears from falling. She let out a soft grunt from trying to keep from crying out in joy, but she did begin sob as she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. "Satoshi…" she choked out.

He pulled away and looked into her dark eyes, and he was trying to interpret whether she was hurt, happy, or angry. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I--"

"No, no," she said with a small laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled and buried her face into his shoulder, heavy tears falling onto the fabric. "I love you, too, Hiwatari-san. And I've waited so long for you to hold me again."

"Me, too," he said happily. He hugged her back, though careful not to hurt her. "Krad will never touch you again, Keri-san, I promise."

She laughed and wiped her face clean of the tears. "I wouldn't care if he was worse, I would still want to be with you." She hugged him tighter and nuzzled his neck. "I don't care what happens to me, as long as I'm with you."

He sighed sadly, as there was so much more he needed to tell her. His father… Krad… her… He pulled away from her and laid her back down gently, a sad look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She could see such pain in his eyes. There was more to tell, wasn't there?

"There's so much we need to talk about," he said to her quietly. "First of all, I'd like to talk about Krad."

"Krad…" She almost mentioned that Dark had said that he had changed, but she didn't want to get the blonde started up again by mentioning his arch-enemy. "He's changed, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has." He smiled and stroked her face gently as he spoke to her. "He has fallen in love with Taila-san, so now he understands what it's like to care about someone as much as I care about you."

"Taila-san?" Her face lit up, as it was almost hard to believe. The two were an odd couple, but she had the funniest comical mental image of Krad as a puppy and Taila holding a spray bottle, yelling at him, "Bad dog!" And, of course, Krad would obey her. Perhaps she would have to draw it later.

Satoshi nodded. "She's in love with him, too. They're great together, and she's really straightened him out. Krad growled at his tamer, but Satoshi ignored him.

Keri smiled and gave a small nod. "I'm happy for them. And I'm happy for us." She held his hand close to her face as he stroked it. His flesh was so warm, and it was wonderful to have him with her again.

"But there's more to tell," he said. "I need to talk to you about the man who hit you this morning."

"Oh.." She dropped her head, only faintly remembering the events from that morning. Everything that happened was still a complete blur.

"The man who hit you was my father, Keri-san. Well, my adoptive father. He was angry at me again for having not captured Dark, so he drove off in a rampage and--"

"It's not your fault," she said sternly before he could finish. She, too, knew that he was secretly blaming himself for everything… as always. "I shouldn't have been in the road, and your father shouldn't be such a jackass." She gave a humorous smile at the statement.

He sighed in defeat, knowing that it was best not to argue, as he would be fighting a losing battle. He decided not to tell her yet about his father beating him. He didn't want her to worry. Besides, he was going to handle that as soon as he left the hospital.

"But there's one more thing I need to tell you," he said sadly, not sure if he could look directly at her when he said it. He would have to try, though. "When you were hit, there was a lot of damage to… your lower abdomen."

"Yeah, I noticed," she said.

_Smart ass, _Krad commented bitterly. Satoshi quickly hushed him and continued to speak. "Well, you see… Keri-san, you… You're not going to…" He stopped and looked down, covering his mouth with his free hand.

_Krad, I can't do this. I can't tell her._

_Master Satoshi, just say it quickly. It will be much easier that way._

"Hiwatari-san? Is something wrong?" She was terribly worried now, and it was obvious that whatever he was trying to say was severely bothering him.

He was crying now, she noticed, and he tried to find the right words to tell her. "There was so much damage… to your womb," he said quietly. "You're never… going to be able to have children."

The pain in her eyes and expression was almost unbearable. He had to look away from her. She looked down, hardly breathing from sadness and dismay. She had never really decided is she wanted children or not, but to know that if she wanted to have a child later, that it couldn't happen; it hurt her. She sighed and looked down at her stomach, trying her best to accept the fact that she would never be able to carry any life inside her. It was like all hopes of a family in her future had been crushed. She could always adopt, but it wouldn't be the same, not without having created the life herself and carried it in her own womb.

"Keri-san, are you alright?" she heard the boy ask.

She nodded and gave him a sad smile. "I'm fine," she said weakly. She sighed, dragging the breath slowly as it came out rather choppy. "I want to see Taila-san now."

He nodded and stood up to walk to the door, his eyes downcast and his shoulders dropped.

"But I want you to stay, Satoshi-kun," she said as more tears formed in her eyes.

"No," he said. "I have something I need to take care of. I'll come back tonight, alright? I promise."

She nodded and smiled. "I'll see you then." He gave her one last smile before walking out the door, and Taila came in soon after. It was obvious that she had been crying, and she came straight to Keri and sat on the edge of the bed. Keri grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze as she gave her best friend a brave smile.

"Keri-san…" Taila said, her voice shaky and soft.

"Satoshi-kun already told me all that I need to know," she said. "I'm fine, Taila-san… I'm going to be just fine."


	35. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I do not own DNAngel... But I do own a cookie! -holds up cookie so you can see-

First of all, SO SORRY FOR THE SUCKINESS OF THE LAST CHAPTER! -sweatdrop- I didn't know what else to do, though. I guess writing scenes like that are... beyond my abillity. (Though I still don't undertsand what made it so damn hard! -hits self in head- I'm weird like that...) Well, I think this chapter turned out a WHOLE lot better, especially compared to last chapter. I just hope I didn't scare any readers away... -sweatdrop-

**chocolateriku, **Yes, it was pretty sad... Poor Keri... But it would have been boring if she had come out with nothing really wrong with her! But hey, it brought her and Satoshi together again. **BrokenHeartsBeatOn, **Lmaoi, Laughing my ass of insanely... Tee hee. That's cute. I like roflmafao. Rolling on the floor laughing my fucking ass off. Hehe. Nope. No cliffhanger. Gotta love those, but... you can't have them all the time. Else, it gets annoying. Eh he.

Please review, dear readers. I do love reveiws... They make me so happy:-)

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Chapter 34

"Where is Hiwatari-san going?" Taila asked the girl.

"He said he had something he had to take care of," she replied. "Perhaps it has something to do with his father?"

"Well, my guess is that he's going to kill him. I ought to stop him… But why keep him from doing something I would have done myself anyway?" She gave a small smile at Keri. "Nah. I doubt he'll kill him. Krad might, though.

"Of course… Krad." She laughed quietly and smiled back at Taila. "I've missed him so much. It was so nice to see him again."

"I'm sure. He's been in love with you for so long, but you looked so happy without him, he was afraid to stir up old emotions. I guess after seeing what happened to you, it made him realize how much he truly loved you."

Keri nodded. "Well, in that case, I guess it's worth it… in a way…" Her smile faded as she was reminded that she would never be able to have children. Taila could see that pain in her eyes.

"Keri-san…" she said, hugging the girl gently. She was laying down next to her now, holding the wounded girl while she comforted her. "Don't think of the negative things. Try to be thankful you're alive."

"I am… truly thankful," she said as she began to cry again. "But… it hurts."

"I understand more than you think I do. It's just something you've been taking for granted has been taken away from you in only a matter of moments. And you don't realize how much you loved it until it's gone." Of course, Taila was talking about her wings. Very different from Keri's situation, but at the same time not.

Keri had no idea how Taila understood her, but she didn't ask. She only cried into the girl's shirt as she held her. Taila was so much like a big sister to her, and it was nice that she could be there for her whenever she needed her there.

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_Master Satoshi, I don't think this is a good idea. Just let me take over! I will kill him._

_I'm not letting you kill anyone, Krad. Just let me do this my way._

_Alright, but if he gets too rough, I'm going to take over whether you like it or not!_

His plan was to run away. To pack up the things he needed, quit his position as Commander, and run away. He didn't know where to just yet, but anywhere was better than with the psychopath he was living with now. Afterwards, he would go back to the hospital to see Keri and ask the doctors how much longer she would be there.

Satoshi opened the front door to his house after seeing that his father was back home. Probably waiting on him to get back from the hospital so that he could beat him for disobeying him and cursing at him. He didn't care, though. His heart was set on what he was going to do, and Satoshi Hiwatari was never one to turn his back on something. He saw his father sitting at the kitchen table, and he quickly walked past him and up the stairs, towards his room. He glanced at his father quickly, giving him a cold glare.

"Don't look at me that way, Satoshi!" his father yelled at him. "And don't walk away. You come here right now!"

Satoshi didn't answer, just continued to walk up the stairs and to his room. His heart was pounding in his chest, as he was nervous. He could hear Hiwatari coming behind him and a whole lot faster than he was walking. The man caught up to him just as he entered his room, grabbing the boy by his hair and throwing him against the wall.

"Ah!" Satoshi yelled, wincing as the back of his head hit the wall along with the backside of his body. By reflex, his hands shot up and tried pushing the man away.

"Don't try to push me away, Satoshi. You know damn good and well it was an accident when I hit that little bitch. And when I tell you to do something, you damn sure better do it!"

"Keri-san is not a bitch!" Satoshi yelled. His father then swung his fist into the boy's stomach, causing him to lose his breath and gasp for air. He gave a small grunt as he tried stepping back, but he was already against the wall.

"Don't dispute my word, boy," he growled. "Else I'll go back and finish her off. Is that what you want?"

"N…no…" he said, his voice strained. He held his stomach with both hands, clenching his eyes shut as he tried to think of a way to escape the wrath of his father.

"You're becoming a handful, Satoshi. Perhaps I'm not punishing you well enough." He smiled and tilted his head, staring angrily at the fourteen year old. "What can I do to make you better?"

"It doesn't matter," Satoshi yelled. "I will never be good enough for you! Never! That's why I quit." He lifted his head to look his father directly in the eyes, which were just as filled with rage as his own. "I quit this Commander shit that I apparently am no good at doing, and I'm sick of never being good enough. Since I can't do anything right, perhaps I should just leave and make your life easier!" Tears streamed down his face now, and Chief Hiwatari only stood there and stared at him. "Good luck finding a perfect son."

Satoshi walked away from him then, the pain in his stomach not as bad now. He grabbed a suitcase and began packing while his father only stood there, staring at him with the same smirk on his face. He packed two school uniforms and two regular outfits: two pairs of black pants, a maroon dress shirt, and a black one. He stuck his laptop in there as well, and then he grabbed some of his personal belongings: a framed picture of his mother and himself before she died, a letter Keri had written him a long time ago, and a few sketches of phoenixes and angels that Keri had done. He also opened a drawer which held all of his savings and packed it as well. Closing the suitcase, he gave one last glance at his father. Did he not care that he would probably never see Satoshi again? The man only stood there, smirking as if he was happy that Satoshi was leaving.

"Father, I want to ask you something before I leave," he said quietly, not even looking at the man. "Was there ever a time, even in the smallest amount, that you loved me at all?"

Hiwatari smirked and shook his head. "Honestly, Satoshi, who can love a mistake?"

Satoshi nodded, quite hurt by his adoptive father's words. So, he had never really cared about him, only taken advantage of his Hikari blood. He tried his best to hold back the tears as he quietly left the room, walking slowly down the stairs and leaving Hiwatari in his solitude. He would be happier that way, wouldn't he? He opened the front door, but Krad spoke to him just before he walked out.

_Master Satoshi, you forgot something._

_What's that?_

_Your father's book._

_I don't care about that son of a--_

_No… Your **real **father._

Satoshi then remembered exactly what he was talking about. It was a book his father had given to him when he was younger. _Exodus_ was the name of it. _Exodus _meant either "lost" or "wandering" in Latin. He couldn't quite remember which. It was a thick book with small script. He treasured that book like it was a life, and he often brought it to school to read. He had probably read it a thousand times, but it was still just as interesting the thousandth time as it was the first time.

He dropped his suitcase at the door and walked to the end table in the living room where he had left it. He smiled sadly and grabbed the book, looking over it's worn cover and pages, though it was still of value to him. He carried the book in one hand and his suitcase in the other as he left the house behind to start a new life with a greater meaning.

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"So THAT'S what that book that Satoshi's always reading is!" my sub-consciousness commented. I thought that was pretty neat. :-)


	36. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own D.N.Angel

Wow. This was a fun chapter to write. I received a few comments from some of my readers about the book Satoshi had. They had asked if I had named it _Exodus_ because of the song, "Exodus" by Evanescence. Well... YES! As I was writing that chapter, that song came to mind. I was even singing it while I was writing. XD I also had come people request some hentai. Well... I gave that away, too! "Would you take that innocence from me, Krad?" I'm giving away everything, and no one notices it! Omg! XD XD XD It's okay. I love you anyway, guys. I actually like the fact that I'm hiding my give-aways so well. (Though, I'm not even trying to hide them...) **BrokenHeartsBeatOn, **I dont' watch Futurama, but I get the threat! I understand. Yes, yes! I will never ever say that I'm a bad writer again! -trembles- (I'll limit my self insults to my daily mental arguments from now on. O.o) Hee hee. Thanks a bunches, though! **thefirephoenixprincess, **Yes, there will be some more...er... deatailed romance. Heh. It may take me a while to write (considering that I have no personal experience) but I will do my best! More Satoshi and Keri? Maybe a little more... I'm kinda ready to finish this story. And if I just start randomly throwing a bunch of SatoxKeri in, I might screw up the ending. So... I'll do my best with that, too. **sw33t-bLiss, **Glad you like the last chapter. Hope you likey this one as well!

Please reveiw, people. I accept flames! And... embers. XD But if you say something as simple as, "Your story sucks," I will ignore it. You would have wasted your time. Why would I ignore it? Well, I'd like to know WHY it sucked and HOW I could make it better. If you have any tips, I'd like to hear them! I want to be betterrrrr!

Enjoy. :-)

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Chapter 35

He had gone ahead and went straight to the hospital, as Keri was more important than looking for a new place to live anyway. It was late afternoon when he arrived, and Keri was asleep. Taila was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching Keri sleep until he arrived. Satoshi explained to Taila what he had done, and she seemed quite proud of him. He set his suitcase and book down beside the chair, and Taila said that she was leaving so that he and Keri could be alone. He had insisted that she stay if she wanted to, but she left anyway. She smiled at him, showing that she was happy for them before she left.

He began reading _Exodus _while he waited for Keri to wake up. He often looked up from his book to watch her in her peaceful slumber. He would smile then begin to read again. Before long, he had closed the book and laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her to help keep her warm. He was soon sleeping as well.

In the midst of his sleep, he heard yelling. He then opened his eyes, wondering who would be yelling and why. There were many doctors in the room, and he soon found himself standing on the other side of the room, watching everything happen. The doctors were all standing around Keri, and he became worried. They looked lifeless, but not as lifeless as Keri, who lay motionless on the bed. He walked over to them and stared down at her, dumbstruck.

"She's gone. She won't come back no matter what we do to her." It was one of the doctors who said this.

His heart skipped a beat as his mind registered what was going on. He reached out to take Keri's hand in his. It was ice cold, and her face was pale.

"She's dead," another doctor said sadly, looking directly at Satoshi. "And it's all your fault."

"No…" Satoshi said quietly, shaking his head as heavy tears formed in his eyes. He looked at Keri again. She was really dead, and it was like a thousand knives stabbing at his heart as the reality of it became comprehendible.

"It's your fault." All the doctors were saying it now while Satoshi dropped to his knees and covered his ears.

"No… It's my fault! Keri-san! I'm so sorry!" he cried. "It's all my fault!"

_Satoshi! Satoshi! Calm down. Nothing's your fault! _he heard a feminine voice say. It sounded familiar but distant.

"Forgive me, Keri. I'm so sorry."

"Satoshi Hiwatari!" the female voice screamed. He then felt sheets beneath him and two hands upon his shoulders, shaking him gently. "Wake up, Satoshi, it's just a bad dream!"

Satoshi then opened his eyes and stared into Keri's. She was sitting up, looking down at him, a worried expression on her face. She was alive after all. "Keri-san…" he whispered, sitting up so that he could be closer to her. He hugged her tightly and buried his face into her long, black hair. "I don't ever want to lose you again. Ever."

She hugged him back, doing her best to ignore the pain in her stomach that he caused because of hugging her so tightly, but she didn't dare mention that to him. "Calm down, okay? It was just a dream. I'm okay."

He still continued to sob. The dream seemed so real, and it scared him terribly. "You were dead," he said. "It was so real. I felt you; you were cold, and it was all my fault."

She sighed softly and stroked the back of his head. "You're just still shaken up, alright? I told you earlier it wasn't your fault. Please stop blaming yourself." She smiled and kissed his cheek to help comfort him. She pulled away from his embrace and forced him to look at her. His eyes were red and swollen, streams of tears running down his already moistened face. "They're going to move me out of intensive care in a couple of days, so I must be doing fine, ne? They just want to keep me in here for now in case I have an infection they don't know about yet."

Satoshi nodded and stopped crying. It was just a dream… Just a dream… Despite how real it seemed, it was only his own fear and guilt haunting him in his dreams. "Yes, you'll be fine," he said, though he was more telling himself that.

Keri then noticed the suitcase, and she didn't remember it being there before. "Hiwatari-san, what's that for?" she asked, pointing to the suitcase, though the main reason she mentioned it was to change the subject off his dream.

"I left home," he said with a small smile. "I quit my job as Commander and ran away." He sighed deeply as the whole scenario replayed in his mind. "And he didn't stop me. It was like he wanted me gone. Like he had been waiting for this day. And I feel like all I did was make things worse for him, but I did it for me, too. I couldn't live like that anymore. I had to get away."

Keri nodded, feeling so sorry for him. "You can live with me, Satoshi," she said. "There's an extra bedroom that you can have."

"You don't have to. Besides, living under the same roof with you… might be a little too tempting."

She giggled and picked up her pillow, hitting him in the face with it. "You pervert," she teased. "You're turning into Dark-san!"

He growled playfully and nipped her shoulder. "I am not," he defended, giving her a quick peck on the lips and smiling. "I'm just a guy."

The girl laughed quietly and gazed at her love, so misunderstood by everyone except her. How could anyone say that he was cold-hearted? He was hardly even weird. In fact, he seemed so normal to her, but that was probably because they had so much in common, so she was familiar with most of his emotions and feelings. "You should smile more often," she said. "You're very handsome when you do."

His smiled widened as she spoke, his hands taking hers as his thumbs stroked the palms gently. _I love you so much, Keri-san. _That's what he would have said if Krad had not interrupted him.

_Master Satoshi, I want to see Taila-chan. I know you haven't seen Keri-san in a long time, but I want to make sure Taila is alright. She seemed pretty shook up, too, you know…_

_Alright, alright…_

"Hey, Krad wants to see Taila-san," Satoshi groaned, rolling his eyes. Krad growled, but he ignored him. "I'll come back tomorrow morning to check on you."

Keri nodded and smiled weakly. "That's fine," she said quietly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You get some sleep," he ordered kindly, leaning down to give her one last kiss on the lips. As their lips collided, she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close to her. She slipped her tongue inside easily as he parted his mouth. Her tongue ran over his, then she began to nibble his bottom lip. She smiled and kissed the corner of his lips.

As she removed her arms from around him, he smiled back at her. "I'm going to leave my stuff here," he added, getting off the bed and stretching. "You get the doctors to call me if you need anything, alright? I'm going to find Taila-san and probably head to your house, since there's nowhere else do go. Do you mind?"

"No, I don't mind at all. Remember where the spare key is?"

"I… think so."

She laughed and shook her head. "Well, if you don't, Taila-san does."

He nodded and started walking towards the door, but just as he opened it, he heard her speak again. "I love you, Satoshi," she said.

He turned and gave her a smile before he left. "I love you, too," he said.

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"I hope Hiwatari-kun knows that I'm proud of him," Taila said with a smile as she looked at Krad. Her hands were occupied unlocking the front door to Keri's house.

Satoshi had gone to sleep as soon as he left Keri's room, letting Krad take over. The blonde walked through the hospital, trying to be as invisible as he could. He still received strange looks because of his odd appearance, but he ignored it. He walked outside to see Taila sitting on a bench against the wall of the hospital. When he had asked why she was just sitting there, she said that she had been wandering around Azumano, gotten bored, then she had came back to wait on them. And when he asked how she knew that they would be leaving that night rather than morning, she only smirked and said that she knew him too well. They had gone straight to Keri's house then, walking slowly while Krad explained that Keri would be leaving intensive care in a few days. Taila was glad to hear the news, and she seemed to be doing a whole lot better.

"You don't seem to worried about her," Krad teased. "You're heartless."

"I am not," she defended herself, opening the door and turning on the light. After letting Krad in, she closed the door and locked it back. "I just know that she will be fine. She's gotten her wish, and that was Hiwatari-kun telling her he loved her. Though, it still bothers her that she will never have children, she is really trying to be positive about everything, and she's going to appreciate life more than she did."

Taila knew that for a fact. She remembered the girl telling her about having nearly committed suicide that time, and she compared Keri's feelings then to her feelings now. Things were going to get much better for her. Satoshi, too.

"That's true," Krad agreed, wrapping his arms around Taila's shoulders from behind. He brought out his wings and wrapped them around her as well.

She smiled and turned around to face him, a look in her eyes that he didn't recognize. "I asked you this morning if you would ever take away my innocence, and you said you wouldn't unless I wanted you to, ne?"

His heart skipped a beat as he nodded, his mind trying its best to comprehend what she was saying.

"Take it away, Krad."


	37. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own DNAngel or its characters.

Wow. This was a hard chapter to write, considering that I have no personal experience... O.o Anyways, I did succeed in writing it, and I think it turned our pretty well. Yes, it could have been better, but I thought it was pretty good. :-)

**thefirephoenixprincess, **I really don't know who the main pairing is. SatoshixKeri is definately to mose dramatic adn the most talked about, but the KradxTaila is more passionate and sweet. But, really, I couldn't have Satoshi and Keri do anything. 1) Because they just got back together 2) He might hurt her badly because of that wreck. I don't think she'll be able to do much of anything for a while. x.x **BlackEyeCandy11412, **Thanks so much for reveiwing! -happy dance- You're impressed? ALRIGHT! GO ME! Many thanks to you! You get cyber cookies! **Yuki Hikari, **Finally, someone noticed that. Lmao. That's why I plan to write a sequel later. Mwah ha ha haa. (wow. I have a lot of planning and figuring out to do. o.o) Thanks for revewing, and I'm glad you like the story! Cyber cookies for you, too! **BrokenHeartsBeatOn, **Yes, yes, Naughty naughty. Hehe. I do plan to make a sequel, though. Later... As soon as I finish this, I am taking a BREAK! -passes out- Keeping you guys entertained has been hard, yet fun. It's good to see that so many people are liking my story and reveiwing. Once again, you guys are awesome! **chocolateriku, **Yessss... loverness! Isn't it great? My friends told me it was "about damn time". It was hard to write, but I managed. :-) **sw33t-bLiss, **yes, this chapter is... well... Hehe. Less KradxTaila in the future? I doubt it. There isn't much left to this story anyway. O.o

Thanks again, guys!

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Chapter 36

"Take it away, Krad."

Despite her sudden forwardness, he could see that she was nervous, and he could feel, as he held her close to him, her heart beating rapidly within her chest. He stroked her hair, his heart beating rapidly as well. It wouldn't be his first time, but it would be his first time with someone he actually loved and cared about. It was a good thing Satoshi had gone to sleep for the night. Hopefully, he wouldn't wake up.

"Okay, Taila," he said, kissing her on top of her head with a smile. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she said, her voice shaky. "Lets go to the extra bedroom, where I slept during the nights I spent the night here with Keri-san." She turned from him and clasped his hand in both of hers, leading him to the extra bedroom at the far end of the hall. Her head was bowed, blonde locks falling in front of her eyes, but she could still see where she was going.

Krad followed her, his heart pounding with excitement. The only light on throughout the whole house was the one on the living room, so the hall was very dim. As they entered the bedroom, he noticed that it wasn't as dim. There was a window on the east side, facing the full moon so that the rays shone inside. The moonlight touched the queen size bed, which was made neatly. The walls were blood red, and the bed comforter was midnight black. As Taila let go of his hand and pulled back the dark comforter, he noticed that the sheets were a golden color. The pillows, which most of them Taila removed, were gold and black and red to match the room.

Taila gave a deep, shaky sigh and began to unbutton her dark purple blouse, standing next to the bed. Krad gave a quiet chuckle and walked over to her. "Let me do this," he said, working with the shirt himself. He kneeled in front of her as he did so, kissing the bare skin as it was slowly revealed. When he had successfully removed the shirt, he began to suckle and nip her bare belly while his hands worked skillfully with the black bra. Unhooking it from the front, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her. The bra fell onto the floor as he picked her up and laid her gently onto the golden sheets.

She lay contently beneath him while he straddled her thighs, now bending down to plant kisses upon her chest. She gave a soft sigh as his fingers teased her nipples, drawing lazy circles around them as they quickly hardened from his touch. Running his fingers over the nipples and seeing that they were hard, he took one of them into his mouth. As he began to suckle and nip, she arched her back with a moan. His fingers gently pinched the other nipple so that it wouldn't be ignored. He switched breasts after several minutes, his free hand now unzipping her black pants.

She smiled, her eyes closed, and began to slip off his shirt. He removed his mouth form her breast while she did so, a smile on his face as well. As his muscular chest was revealed to her, she couldn't help but place her hands upon it, feeling every muscle and curve. She then began to fiddle with his pants, just as he had finally managed to completely remove hers, along with her panties. She easily slipped his pants off, but his gray boxers remained there, hiding her prize. She smirked and sat up, her teeth playing with the elastic of the under shorts.

Krad rolled over onto his back and brought Taila with him. She was now sitting on his legs, her legs spread as she teethed the boxers. She slowly slid them down to his middle thighs, before removing them the rest of the way with her hands. Her eyes trailed over his erection, rather large and tempting. She ran her tongue up and down the shaft as she heard soft moans escape her lover's lips. He placed his hands in her hair, which fell elegantly over her shoulders and brushed against his thighs. She the licked the tip, tasting the pre-chum in her mouth. Her lips danced over the skin, teasing it and driving his senses wild. She sucked the tip gently, getting used to the feel of him in her mouth. After a moment, she took him fully, causing a crying moan to break free of his throat. She sucked harder, running her lips smoothly over his manhood. She could hear him moaning and gasping and crying her name. To hear him this way only made her want more of him. Her fingernails dug into his thighs, clawing him much like a kitten getting milk from its mother.

"I'm coming," he said quickly and weakly; and seconds later, he came into her mouth. The warm liquid poured into her mouth. She was faced with two decisions: choke or swallow. She swallowed, enjoying the feel of the seed running down her throat. It continued to pour into her mouth for several moments before he was finished. She licked him clean and removed her mouth from him, wiping a bit from the corner of her mouth. She smiled at him, the bittersweet, salty taste remaining in her mouth.

She moved up, now straddling his hips, her hands once again feeling the muscles of his chest. She looked into his golden eyes, somewhat drained but full of pleasure. She smirked and lifted up. She positioned herself on top of him, his erection brushing gently against her entrance.

"Don't tease," he said weakly with a smile. Knowing that it was her first time, he decided it would be best of her were on top. He sat up and rolled over on top of her, his face now only inches from her. He kissed her then, tasting himself on her mouth. She let out a soft moan as he placed his hands on her breasts, cupping them as the nipples hardened. He could feel his tip against her womanhood, and he could tell that she was nervous.

"Krad…" she said quietly, wrapping her arms around him. Her nails ghosted across his back, her lavender eyes looking so contently into his gold.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and closed her eyes as he entered slowly. She gave a crisp, sharp cry as the pain shot throughout her body. Her nails dug into his back, and he moved deeper into her. She arched her back, pressing her torso against his. Soon, the pain became waves of pleasure that washed her senses. She gave a pleasurable moan as he quickened his pace, moving deeper into her. She screamed out his name, his hair falling lose of the ponytail and falling over them, as she hit her orgasm. She saw flashes of light and all that was comprehendible were the waves of sensational pleasure raping her senses.

She closed her eyes tightly as he continued to thrust into her. He had slowed down after releasing one last time. She gasped as she felt the warm fluid flowing inside her, and he soon collapsed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, gasping for breath. Sweat covered their bodies, and Taila felt barely conscious. Everything was a blur. She was breathing heavily as she cuddled next to Krad, burying her face into his chest.

She was no longer a virgin. No longer innocent.

She took his hand in hers and grasped it tightly. Her hot breath traveled down his neck as she held his hand, his arms wrapped protectively and lovingly around her frail and pleasure-raped body. "Don't you ever leave me, Krad," she said quietly but happily.

"Never. I'm your eternal wings, remember? Eternal means forever, Taila."

"Of course," she said, smiling. "I love you, Krad."

He smiled back and hugged her tightly, burying his face into her blonde hair. "I love you, too."

After several minutes of lying there, embracing each other as the air conditioner blew cool air over their sweaty, naked bodies, they were both asleep, dreaming peacefully of each other.


	38. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own D.N.Angel

I'm baaaaack! Though, not with a blast. -sweatdrop- Gomen nasai, my dear readers. I hope you haven't left meeee! I've just had a severe case of Writer's Block, and I've still got it. That's why I'm not very proud of this chapter. It's definately not the best, but it's enough to keep you reading. (I hope...) I am SO ready to finish this story. I have GREAT ideas for my next story. I'm not writing the sequel yet, as I still have some brainstorming to do. My next story, though, is not a fanfiction. I will have it posted on FictionPress, and I will post that link on my profile. This story I'm planning was actually inspired by a true story, and I plan for there to be more main characters in this one. Eternal Wings just doesn't have enough plots and main characters. (To me, anyway...) **KateofTate, **I had not actually planned to write that for Chapter 36, but this story IS rated mature, and I had several people saying it needed to happen. I'm just writing what my readers want! -sweatdrop- You like everything else, though, right? Right? XD **Yuki HIkari, **Thanks for friending me on MySpace:-) I thought of you when I wrote this chapter. Tee hee hee. **sw33t-bLiss, **Sorry if that last chapter sucked. I my opinion, it was good until the end. x.x I try to avoid those as much as possible, as I have no personal experience. My confession for the day... I went and read at least 10 lemons before writing it to get ideas. If I liked it, I wrote it down. Eh he... Gomen. **Hibiki-chan, **Yes, yes, Naughty angels. (hmmm... Sounds like a title for some kind of porn! XD)

Please review:-)

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Chapter 37

She held him tightly as they walked towards the hospital. As soon as they got there, Krad would change back into Satoshi, and they would spend most of the day with Keri. She probably needed the company, and Satoshi wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Satoshi still did not know of what happened between Taila and Krad the night before, but it was probably better if he didn't.

"What's Satoshi going to think?" Taila had asked Krad.

He simply shrugged and gave a smirk. "I don't much care, because I'm sure going to make fun of him his first time." He cackled evilly and gave Taila a smile. "I can't wait!"

Taila had shook her head and told him he was psychotically evil. He nodded proudly at that statement. Satoshi was awake now, though, she knew, because Krad often stopped to tell him something. It was a mental conversation, but she could clearly tell what was going on. It seemed to her as if they were fighting about something.

_Krad, I feel different this morning… Strangely different. What did you do last night to OUR body!_

_I didn't do anything, Master Satoshi. Now, hush your whining!_

_But my back hurts, and I feel like I've worked every muscle in my body!_

_Quit your complaining already! I don't want to hear it!_

_What did you do while I was asleep, Krad?_

_NOTHING!_

Well, it wasn't "nothing". It was definitely something, but Krad refused to tell Satoshi what it was. Of course, Satoshi was weaker than Krad, and he was quite bony. He imagined that some of the moves he had pulled last night were beyond Satoshi's physical ability, and that he would be sore. The whole sharing bodies thing got so confusing and irritating sometimes. Poor Sato-kun.

He didn't complain anymore though as the hospital came into view. He was ready to see Keri again, as it was so good to be able to talk to her again, to be with her rather than avoiding her. But that was his fault anyway. It seemed that whatever he did, he was hurting her. He was determined, though, that he would never hurt her again.

Krad let him take over before they entered the building, the long blonde hair becoming shorter and fading into a light blue. The golden yellow eyes changing into a darker cerulean. His body grew smaller, thinner and shorter. Soon, it was Satoshi standing next to Taila rather than Krad. He was in slight pain from the sudden transformation, but he could handle it, he knew. He had endured worse before.

"Hiwatari-san, are you alright?" Taila asked him, knowing that he was in pain. From the transformation, soreness from the night before, and bruises from being beat by his father the morning before, right before Keri had been hit by the car. Though, despite it all, he still kept going, acting as if everything was fine, worrying only of others and not of himself.

He nodded at her, and she gave him a weak smile before they went to visit Keri.

--------------------

"Lady Tsare," one of the lower ranking angels said. "My lady, we've found her."

They had been searching all over the earth for where Taila had fallen, and they had not had any luck until now. Keeai had been killed in private rather than public, tortured to death in the chambers, but everyone knew the truth now. Lately, Tsare had been having many visitors coming to cheer her up and bring her flowers and gifts. She appreciated the gifts, but she would not be happy until Taila was home again.

She had sent angels to search everywhere and had told them to report to her as soon as they found her. Two male angels stood before her now in her home, hopeful looks on their faces.

"Where is she?" Tsare asked quietly, not even making eye contact with them.

"Azumano, Japan," the other one said. "I spotted her walking with some tall, blonde male this morning."

Tsare nodded. She wondered who this man was that Taila was walking with. Perhaps he had kidnapped her… Earth seemed to be full of kidnappings and murders and other horrible things. That's why being banned was the worst punishment of all for angels. They would go from hardly any problems at all to the Hell that was on Earth.

"It's morning there now," the angel added. "When do you plan to descend?"

"Tonight," Tsare said. "When everyone else is asleep. We don't need to be seen by humans. I want you two to come with me, though, so you can show me exactly where she is."

"Yes, ma'am," they both said at once.

Tsare smiled, unable to hold in her happiness any longer. Taila was coming home! Her dear best friend. She laughed to herself as memories came back to her. One of Taila tying Asten to a chair and pretending like she was going to give him a lap dance. Taila wasn't a slut, but she did love to tease Asten. Probably because she was in love with him, wanted him to notice her.

But Asten was in love with someone else.

And the more Tsare thought about it, the more she wondered to herself, "If he had admitted that he loved me, would I have jumped into his arms? Would I have crossed the borders of incest and gone with my beloved twin brother?" She cried at night sometimes, picturing him lying next to her. She wondered if she would have been happy that way, but it was almost impossible to tell. She knew that they wouldn't be happy for long. But then again, if they were banished from the Heavens and sent to Earth, they would have been able to love each other openly and not be hated for it. "No, I didn't love him that way," she kept telling herself, but it was all too confusing. She had never really thought about it before except once.

That time that she was crying because their father had been scolding her about being friends with Taila again. He had come to comfort her, and the way he embraced her made her feel as if the arms of any other man would not be able to comfort her. It was if she belonged in his arms and no one else's.

So perhaps his death was for the best. For both of them. And at least Taila would be coming home again. They would both start new lives, forget about Asten and start completely over.

"Lady Tsare?" one of the angels asked her. "Is something wrong?"

She was crying, she just now noticed. She smiled at both of them and shook her head. "No, just tears of joy is all," she said. "Come back at 7 pm, please. According to their time. We'll leave then."

"Yes, ma'am," they said before walking away.

Tsare sat down at the kitchen table, grabbing a box of tissues she had left there for just this reason. Though, she didn't really know… Were they tears of joy or grief?


	39. Chapter 38

Welcome back everyone! And, no, I do not own D.N.Angel... First of all, I'd like to thank my reveiwers. Your kind words have been taken into utmost appreciation, and you have really helped me write this story. A whole lot more than you think! I must admit, if it weren't for y'all, I would have never even finished this story. Yes, this is the final chapter. A prologue and 38 chapters! We've come such a long way. And you were all there with me every step of the way. Y'all are awesome, you know that!

_Special Thanks to... _**Daniel: **I love you! My sexy ninja lover! I must say that you've helped me as well, and you've been encouraging me to write this story. Thank you so much for reading and being there for me during those times when I was just plain "Blah". You've also helped me through my most difficult trials in life, and I doubt I would even be alive without you. Much love! **Erica: **Girl, I owe you my life! You were the only one that was there for me during my "dark stage" two years ago. Thank you so much for saving me from myself. Literally! Your support was helpful as well. **Brittany: **-glomp- You've helped me SO much with this story. Especialy with helping me understand Taila. For some reason, I just couldn't get into her personality, and you helped me. Thank you so much! For ideas, too! **Mom: **For helping me realize my writing ability. I've been writing and making up stories since before I was in school, and you have always told me I could be someone someday. Thank you for everything.

And thank you, readers, for taking the time to read this story. It reflects my life, my personality, and my imagination. I can only hope that you enjoy it. Much love and shiny stuff!

Hope you guys enjoy:-)

………………………………...

It all started at the beginning of his ninth grade year. Satoshi met Keri at the park one day, as he sat there pondering his life and how he knew that he couldn't allow himself to get close to anyone. That's when Keri came up behind him, and they talked for a while. Then Krad took over and ruined the moment. Krad stayed in control for the rest of the day and attacked Keri that night. He almost raped her, having pinned her against the tree. The next day, Satoshi was talking to Keri, as he wanted to make sure that she was alright. He forced her to tell him what happened, trying his best to make it sound as if he was only worried about her, not that he was worried because he already knew what had happened. She told him, and it was quite surprising to him that she had even told him. Mostly because they had just met the day before. Afterwards, she told him that she was glad to have a friend like him. He was so happy for that, and it felt good to actually have a friend. Over time, he fell in love with her, and he still loved her despite the pain that it caused him, emotionally and physically. Krad disapproved, though, and he wanted to make sure that Satoshi never got close to anyone. He continued to attack Keri on the nights that her wings came out, as those were the nights she would go out alone. So Satoshi decided to never see her again. He broke her heart and his as well, but he knew it was for the best. He didn't want Krad to hurt her anymore.

Thank Heaven for Taila, literally. The fallen angel was there for Keri every step of the way, helping her through life without Satoshi, because she was actually in love with him, too. Taila also was helping Satoshi, despite the times that Krad had tried killing her. One night, she was attacked by a group of rapists, and Krad saved her. His original plan was to kill her, but when he saw those other men attacking her, he felt the need to protect her. Confused by his own emotions after killing them, he kissed her. He had no idea why, but it just seemed right.

Satoshi allowed Krad to keep seeing Taila, and they were soon in love. An odd coulple, yes, and Satoshi knew that Krad would probably allow him to be with Keri, but it seemed to him as if she had already gotten over him. He didn't want to disturb her peace of mind.

Dark Mousy tried talking to Keri, tried telling her that she needed to talk to the Hiwatari. She refused, though, as she didn't want to get her hopes up to have them crushed.

The two teens were brought back together, though, because of a horrible accident. Satoshi's father was driving carelessly around the curve when he made impact with Keri. She almost died, and they even lost her once. Satoshi was hysterical, screaming her name and apologies for not being there for her. He was terrified that he might lose her, and even when the doctors said that she would be fine, he had nightmares of her death. She wouldn't be able to have children, though, and that was what they were discussing at this moment.

Satoshi and Taila were visiting Keri in the hospital, and Keri had brought up the subject that she couldn't have any kids. They nodded, not sure of the point that she was getting at. "If Satoshi and I… ever do get married. We won't be able to have children. He is the last of the Hikari line, and that would mean… no more Krad."

The words struck Taila like bullets, and Krad, though he could only see from his place in Satoshi's mind, could see her heartbreak. A thousand lost pieces of a shattered mirror. A mirror that only his reflection could be seen. Satoshi had grabbed Taila, trying his best to comfort her as the reality of the situation sunk in deeper and deeper. She was hysterical now, only able to sit up by leaning on Satoshi.

"I'll do something about it, Taila," he said. "I'll… I'll be with another woman who can have children, and she'll have a son, and you and Krad can be together. I may not want to do that, and I may want to only be with Keri, but I'll do it if it's necessary."

"Don't you dare do that," she said. "Don't you dare. You be true to Keri-san, and end up with another woman only if fate decides it."

Keri nodded, not much liking the idea of Satoshi with someone else herself, but if it was for Taila, she guessed she could tolerate it. But the fallen angel rejected the idea, so she supposed she didn't have to worry about.

Taila hugged the boy tightly, appreciating his kindness, even if it was a bit strange and not well thought about. "I assume he'll only be here for a few more years, maybe not even that long, ne?"

Satoshi nodded while Krad sighed. What would happen to him? Would he… die? No, just wander around in the complete nothingness that he existed in while he waited for the next Hikari boy to be born. Surely he would die when Satoshi did, though, considering that he was the last Hikari.

"I want my remaining time with him… to be memorable. And perhaps, by some miracle, something will happen," she said as she wiped away the heavy tears. She didn't want to lose him. Not like this…

_**ETERNAL WINGS --- CHAPTER 38.…**_

**_The end of Eternal_ **

_Satoshi… I will allow you to spend one more hour with Keri today. After that hour, I want to be with Taila._

_I understand, Krad… Look, we're going to make this work somehow._

_No, Satoshi, I don't want to ruin your life anymore than I already have._

_Krad… when did you stop calling me "Master Satoshi"?_

_When I realized I wasn't inferior to you._

_What do you mean by that?_

_Your ancestors treated me as their inferior, making me feel small and unwanted. So, perhaps all that I've done was simply an act of rebellion, but I still felt so worthless… Now, I've just realized how much I really am respected. You were actually willing to do that for me, for Taila. And Taila actually cried for me, because she knows that I won't be here much longer… I leave behind many regrets, but my biggest one is the promise I broke._

_Promise?_

_I promised Taila I would be her "eternal wings". It looks like I can't keep that promise, can I?_

Satoshi broke from his concentration, his conversation with Krad, and looked into Keri's eyes. She wasn't crying, but he could tell from her expression that she understood. In fact, she understood perfectly. That feeling that she might never be with the one she loved again, she knew all too well.

Satoshi decided not to spend the whole hour with Keri, that Krad and Taila needed as much alone time as possible. Taila had already left to wait outside. She needed alone time for now.

He sat next to Keri, leaning against the mattress which was folded up chair-like. So Keri was sitting up as well, laying her head on Satoshi's shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I'm… so sorry," she said, her voice slightly shaky.

"You've nothing to be sorry for."

"I shouldn't have been in the road. I should have been more careful, and I…" She broke into sobs against him, regret and sadness putting pressure on her heart. "I am so sorry."

"We're too much alike, Keri," Satoshi said, holding her while she cried. "Blaming yourself for everything when nothing was really your fault." He kissed her on top of the head and gave a sad smile. "You scold me for that all the time."

They sat there for ten minutes, Keri's crying beginning to calm down. He was right. He was always right. But she couldn't help but blame herself a little bit.

"I have to go," he said, patting her back softly. "Krad wants to be with Taila."

"I understand," she said, sitting upright so that she could look into his eyes.

He kissed her lightly on the lips and stroked back her hair. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded as he began to walk away. She watched him with such amazement, so captivated by him. It was as if he knew that it was going to be alright. She could tell when she had looked into his eyes that he was confident. It was as if he was saying, "I know things will work out."

"The doctors say they're going to release you tomorrow," he added before leaving. "I'll be here to pick you up in the morning."

She smiled and nodded. She was going to get to go home, and that even cheered her up a little bit. He gave her one last smile before leaving and letting Krad take over his body.

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"What will happen to you, Krad?" the girl asked as they stood at the cliffs. The cliffs that Krad recognized as the first time he had approached Keri. The sun was setting on the horizon, making brilliant colors of indigo, blue, pink, purple and orange streak across the sky. There were stars visible, and the moon was rising in the east behind them. A soft breeze blew, blowing back Taila's blonde hair as she leaned against the railing. Her tears sparkled from the sun's light, her lavender eyes matching some of the brilliancy of the sunset.

The wind blew back his hair as well. It twisted and tangled behind him, and his eyes, usually so cold and mistrusting, were warm and golden like the sun on a mid-summer day. But they were sad, showing that a storm was to come soon to rid of the sunshine. And for all they knew, this "storm" could last forever.

"I don't know," he admitted as he stood behind her, his arms draped around her shoulders. "Probably exist in the nothingness that Dark and I always have whenever we were awaiting our tamers. Probably, after Satoshi dies, I will too, considering that he is the last Hikari."

She turned around to face him with those loveable, lavender eyes. So full of sadness and desolation. "Look," he added. "We don't know that Satoshi and Keri will end up together. They are still young, and they have a lot of growing up to do. Not all hope is lost."

"No, Krad," she said. "I can tell, just by the look in their eyes… Those two, Keri and Satoshi, they're going to last forever. I just know it. They care so much about each other, and they always put the other one ahead of themselves. They're both selfless and beautifully loving. I can't… see them without each other. They were both miserable until they found each other, and that period of time when they weren't together, they were miserable again."

"I suppose," he said with a sad sigh. They didn't need to discuss this right now. They needed to have fun and enjoy their last memories together rather than discuss things.

"Let's have some fun," he said, giving her a weak smile. "Anything you want to do, we'll do it. I want our last memories together to be good ones, okay?"

She nodded and smiled back at him. "Let's go to Azumano Joyland," she said. "I haven't been there yet, and I heard it's a lot of fun."

"It is," he said. He grasped her hand in his and began walking, but after two steps, she had let go of his hand and wrapped her arms completely around him, hugging him tightly as if she was afraid she would lose him if she ever let go.

"I don't want to ever lose you, Krad," she said.

He hugged her back and smiled. He was sad that he was going to be leaving her, but it made him happy to know that she loved him this much. No one had ever even cared about him until now. "I don't want to lose you either, but it's better to have loved and then lost than to have never loved at all."

"I guess you're…" She stopped in mid-sentence and shot her head up. She felt something, a presence. And it felt so familiar. "Right." She looked around, and she noticed that Krad felt it, too. He was also looking around.

"Someone or some_thing_ is here," he said.

"Someone, mind you," came a female voice from behind him. She was a beautiful young lady. Long, wavy, brown hair. Emerald green eyes. A white dress robe that was open at the shoulders and had silver lining. She had white wings which were folded neatly behind her, and her arms were crossed as she glared revoltingly at Krad. Two male angels stood behind her, not much paying attention to what was going on.

"Tsare!" Taila exclaimed, running up to her friend and almost jumping on her. "It feels like forever!"

The blonde had her arms wrapped around her neck, and she hugged her back with a smile, her eyes closing to hold back the tears. "Yes, it does… I've come to take you home."

"Home?" Taila asked.

"Keeai, my father, admitted to killing Asten. Although we cannot replace your wings, you are able to come back to your home in Heaven."

So Keeai had killed Asten… She should have known. But, she was coming home? At first, it seemed like a wonderful idea, but then there was Krad. She turned to face him, and he seemed to be happy.

"Krad, I.." she started.

"Go," he said. "Start a new life without me, since I won't be in your life much longer anyway." She saw tears in his golden eyes, and it made her heart ache.

She shook her head, unsure of what to do. It made since to go, but…

"Taila, come back to Heaven with us," Tsare said again.

Krad smiled sadly and kissed Taila on the lips, framing her face with his hands. "I'll never forget you," he said. "This is the last time I'll get to say it, so… I love you, Taila." He stroked her face and turned from her. If he stayed any longer, she would be convinced not to go.

"I love you, too," she said weakly, thought she knew that he couldn't hear her. She was choking on her own tears, her throat so tight that she could hardly breathe. She then turned to Tsare and shook her head. "Tsare… I've known you forever and… you've been such a sister to me. I love you as a friend and sister, and you know that I'd love to be back home again."

"Let's go then," Tsare said, though feeling slightly sorry for Krad, who was now almost too far away to hear their conversation.

"No, Tsare. I don't… need to go." She smiled and looked at Krad, though all she could see was his back and his long hair which swayed behind him. "My Heaven's right here."

Krad heard the statement and slowly turned around. She was… staying? Why? Why would she stay when she knew there was nothing to stay for? "Taila," he started to protest.

"Come to see me whenever you want to, Tsare," she said as she hugged her friend. "Come everyday if you want."

Tsare, despite how much she wanted Taila to come home again, respected her decision. She hugged her back and nodded. "I will," she said. "Everyday that I can!" She pulled away form the hug and smiled. "Now, go."

Taila smiled back and ran to Krad, new tears forming in her eyes. She jumped on him, and he almost stumbled backwards. He noticed that she was laughing as he held her above the ground, his arms around her waist.

"It'll work out somehow, Krad!" she said happily. "I promise it will!"

He smiled and brought out his wings, extending them as white feathers scattered across the ground. He took of into the air, leaving Tsare and the other two behind to watch them soar across the now night sky. Taila hugged Krad tightly, almost afraid to let go. She just knew it would work out. Fate would be good to them, wouldn't it? Something… Some miracle would happen. And they could be together eternally, and he could be her "eternal wings" after all.

"Well, gentleman," Tsare said with a smile to the angels behind her. She watched proudly as Taila and Krad flew back and forth, his wings elegantly carrying them with such grace and style. "I think our work here… is done."

**THE END**

_Or not…I will write a sequel! Eventually… Be excepting it come 2007. (hopefully earlier...)_

_By the way, if you have any great ideas for the sequel, please share! E-mail me with your ideas!_

_Thank you for reading! **xxKitsuneTenshixx**_


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